


Black & Blue

by MarieJohnson123



Category: Bates Motel (2013)
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, F/M, Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-20
Updated: 2015-04-20
Packaged: 2018-03-24 23:16:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 51,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3787978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarieJohnson123/pseuds/MarieJohnson123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Norma Bates get's into an unhealthy, abusive relationship with George Heldens. Will Alex Romero step in and alter her world forever?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, in case no one figured it out, this is Marie Johnson from Fanfiction.net, I just wasn't sure how my work would be previewed here so I decided to keep it relatively anonymous. Anyway, this is my most popular story from Fanficiton, I thought I'd post it here to so everyone could read if they wanted to. This is for people who love AO3 but not Fanfiction. Anyway, enjoy if you haven't already :)

**Chapter 1: Lost & Found** 

 

It was a rough day for Norman, trapped in a box in the ground, no one to help him, barely any oxygen, and worst of all his beloved mother wasn't there to help him through it. He prayed for someone to find him, get him out of that wooden prison and set him free. He lay, covered in dirt, bugs, and whatever other skin crawling contents fell on his flesh. Little did he know Dylan and Sheriff Romero were doing everything in their power to find and free him, he just had to sit tight and wait for their rescue.

Norma sat in the motel office, she had to keep a grip on herself, especially when Emma was around. She didn't need her voice in her ear, asking annoying and prying questions as to Norman's whereabouts, that was her and Sheriff Romero's business only, her son needed to be brought back to her immediately. She had trouble taming her own emotions, she refused to put up with Emma's. She let the teen go home early that night, saying she would handle the night shift. All Norma wanted was to be alone, it was easier for her to handle the situation if she could have time to think about her next move to try and save her son.

Just as she began to think, she saw George's car pull up in the parking lot. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as she heard him find a place on the gravel and shut the door behind him. She didn't want to deal with him right now. She silently admitted that sleeping with him that night out of impulse was a complete mistake, it was stupid of her to go back to his place, force herself on him, no, that was no where near Norma's style. She was never comfortable making the first move, especially with someone like George, classy, educated, handsome, and pretty sweet from what she could see. She let out an audible sigh before he walked in the door.

As he laid eyes on her, gave her a sweet smile, and held out a bouquet of flowers.

"These are for you" he said, moving behind the desk, getting closer to her.

"That is so sweet!" she announced, faking cheer, and giving him a huge grateful grin.

She took the flowers from him and laid them on the desk in front of her, she kept her eyes on them, and felt herself grow more aware and frustrated as she felt his arms slide around her waist. It wasn't long before he was leaning into her, his mouth pecking wet kisses on her neck. He pulled away and gazed at her.

"I had a good time last night" he grinned seductively and went back to kissing her, slowly his hand moved under her skirt and his fingers skating closer and closer to her upper thigh.

"Uh, George, you know what?" she struggled to speak as his lips pressed harder on her throat, he had her pressed up against the desk.

She pushed him away slightly and fixed herself, shaking her head.

"Not right now" she rejected him, turning back the desk.

"I'm sorry...just not right now" she continued, keeping her eyes on the computer screen in front of her, the light from the monitor making her eyes shine.

"Oh, I get it" he said, looking down at the floor, and running a hand through his hair.

"I've just had a really hard day" she explained, clearing her throat, trying to maintain her composure.

George gave her a softened look.

"What happened?" he asked compassionately.

She thought then, she shouldn't have said that. She didn't need to draw more attention to her situation. She was silently kicking herself inside.

"I just...I've have a really stressful day. Customers screaming at me, I had to clean so many disgusting rooms, and on top of it I have a splitting headache" she explained, putting her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry...do you want some aspirin?" he offered.

She looked up to see his charming gaze, it melted her heart, despite everything else that was going on. George was a nice guy with good intentions. She still had to handle Norman however, so she needed to turn him away and send him out so she could focus on her son.

"No, thank you. I think I'm just going to turn in for the night. A good nights sleep should help. I really like you, George. I know you like me too...sorry I wasn't in the mood" she gave him a sad smile.

"That's okay, you've had a rough day. I'll let you rest" he said, leaning over the desk to kiss her cheek.

When he pulled away, she gave him a sweet grin.

"I promise, when I start feeling better, I will make tonight up to you...if you know what I mean" she gave him a sexy smile and turned to shut the lights off in the back room.

"Already looking forward to it. Actually, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come over my place Friday night, maybe watch a movie, order in?" he offered, watching her hips sway.

"That sounds lovely, George" she smiled at him and walked out of the office, he followed behind and watched as she locked the door and flipped the open sign to closed.

"Good. See you then?" he asked, leaning closer towards her.

"Yes" she grinned.

He took her hips in his hands and pulled her in. Donna Karan cologne filled her nostrils as he dipped his head in towards hers and planted a sweet kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around the nape of his neck. He pulled away and dropped one more small kiss on her forehead before turning away and getting in his car. Norma leaned against the door and watched him go, giving him a small smile as he glanced at her before pulling out of the motel parking lot. After his car was out of sight, she walked up towards the house, when she heard a voice call her name behind her. She stopped walking up the steps and turned to see Sheriff Romero standing right behind her.

"Did you find Norman?" she asked, her eyes big, filled with a mixture of hope and fear.

"We did. Dylan and I found him in a box in the middle of the woods. You were right...Nick Fords men captured him" he said, a pained look on his face.

"Is he okay?" she asked, preparing herself for his response.

"He's fine, we took him to the hospital, he's being checked out by doctors" he explained.

Alex was still recovering from the sight of Norman when they released him from the box. Tussled hair, a face so dirty his features were almost unrecognizable, and numerous parasites clinging to his pale skin.

Norma stepped towards Alex and gave him a quick hug. He flinched a little at the spontaneity of the gesture, but soon his hands rested on her hips. He grinned at her sweet scent, vanilla and roses, but soon forced himself back into professionalism before he let his true feelings show.

She pulled away and stepped back, creating distance between them.

"Thank you, so much, Alex. I really...I can't thank you enough for this" she said, a sweet smile on her face.

"It's my job" he gave her a tight lipped grin, Norma had never seen that much expression on his usually emotionless face.

"Come with me, I'll drive you over to the hospital" he said, walking down the steps to his SUV police cruiser. She followed behind him in the cool, Oregon night air and they drove to hospital.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Date With The Devil**

 

As Norma rushed through the doors of the hospital, she slammed right into Dylan.

"Dylan" she crooned, grabbing him and squeezing him in her embrace.

"Hey, Norma. Norman is fine, he's resting comfortably in the ICU" he explained, clutching her.

He wasn't used to the maternal side of his mother, he'd gone without the caring and affection for so long it almost felt foreign to him, other worldly almost.

"Thank you so much for helping find him, Dylan. I love you, I love you so much" she said, her eyes squeezed shut, holding her son like he was the only person on the universe.

"I'm going to go find the doctor so he can talk to you" he said, his face pressed into her hair.

She let go and gave him a parting smile before walking to Norman's hospital room.

She rushed over to her son. He looked pale, hospital IV's poking into his skin, his face at peace. She grabbed his hand and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Norman? Sweetie, can you hear me?" she asked, her soft voice humming in his ears.

Norman's eyes flickered open and set on Norma. He had never been so grateful to see another human being.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this, honey" she rested her forehead on their clamped together hands.

"Mother, Ms. Watson's father put me in the box. I had these dreams-" he began, but Norma placed a satin skinned finger on his thin lips.

"Shhh, Norman, don't talk about it know. I want you to put all that stuff out of your mind. You need rest" she kissed his cheek and observed him as his eyes scanned all over her face.

"What?" she asked, worried that he was still foggy from the kidnapping.

"I missed you so much, mother" he said, his lips pursing into a smile.

She hugged him and sniffled.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, I honestly don't know" she kissed his temple again.

A few days later, she was able to bring Norman home. He got set up in his room, his mother not allowing him to leave his bed except for dinner and to use the bathroom. Though he loved the passionate smothering she gave him, he felt he was going stir crazy sitting in his room all day, but he let Norma have her way, he always did. Along with her checking up on him every half an hour, Dylan stopped by a lot. He would sit in Norman's room with him and they'd talk about different things, his job, Norman's taxidermy, sometimes they'd even bring up the past, though it was filled with tight lipped secrets, bruises, and scars.

Once Norman had been on bed rest for four days, he confided in Dylan, telling him he couldn't stay in bed any longer, he was going insane. Dylan complied to his brothers complaint, he exited his lukewarm room and headed downstairs to find Norma cleaning the floors. Though many things in her life had gone wrong, Norma always found solace in cleaning, her life had been filled with dirty secrets, it was nice to wipe some of that dirt away, even if it couldn't be personal.

"Norma?" he called behind her, she was facing away from him, swabbing bleach around on the linoleum tiles.

"What do you need, honey?" she asked, throwing her sponge back in the soapy water bucket.

She had been much sweeter to him, after that night in the hospital. He believed half of it was because he found Norman, but pieces of Dylan wanted to think that Norma's new found affection towards him was out of the kindness of her heart.

"Um, actually, could I talk to you for a minute?" he asked coyly.

He had just found a good connection with his mother, he didn't want to mess it up, he was going to stay meek through the conversation, she tended to be kinder to bashfulness. If there was anything he'd learned from his her it was that he acquired her stubborn attitude, and stubborn people did not mix well with overly confident, pushy people. He decided that to make Norman happy, he had to level with his mother.

"Of course, what about?" she smiled slightly, getting up off the floor and facing her eldest son.

"Well, it's just you haven't left the house in five days, I think...I think it would be nice if you got out for a few hours" he said, his tone quiet, but his point clear.

"Oh, I'm fine, besides Norman needs me" she said, now getting a larger mop from the closet.

Dylan halted her by placing a hand on her shoulder, she turned immediately and their identical eyes locked.

"Mom, he's seventeen years old, he doesn't need you by his side all the time. I was talking to him, and we both thought you should get out for a little bit. We think it'll be best, I can keep an eye on Norman for you" he offered.

Norma wanted to argue with him, but once she looked into his softened, sincere expression she couldn't fight him, the recently mended relationship was too valuable to her.

"Well..." she started, she sighed and flashed a small smile his way. "Okay...George did invite me over to his place tonight, I'd feel bad if I cancelled" she admitted, biting her bottom lip.

"That's nice, why don't you go get ready, and I'll finish everything up here" he offered motioning to the unattended puddle of dirty water on the floor.

"Okay" she smiled, kissing his cheek. She sprinted up the stairs and Dylan smiled to himself.

"That wasn't so bad" he muttered quietly.

An hour later, Norma came back downstairs. She had changed from her cleaning attire into a lovely red spaghetti strap spring dress, nothing too fancy.

She entered the living room, to find Dylan sitting on the sofa with a beer in his hand.

"I'm heading out" she exclaimed, grabbing her purse off of the coffee table.

"You look great" he smiled, examining her soft makeup and outfit.

She gave him a sweet smile and kissed his forehead, her lip gloss leaving a semi-visible ring on his skin.

"Don't hesitate to call me if you or Norman need anything" she said, heading into the hallway.

"Have a good time. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Norma" he joked, chuckling to himself.

"Ha Ha" she said sarcastically, shutting the door behind her.

She waited on the motel porch, keeping an eye out for George's car. He said he'd pick her up at around 7, she was a few minutes early.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Alex sitting on a chair outside the motel, a highball glass resting in his hand.

He smiled to himself as he observed her. His eyes not missing a single curve or edge as he examined her frame. She looked stunning, as always.

_There wasn't a single flaw to this woman, was there?_  He thought silently.

"Hey, Norma" he greeted her, and she turned to face him.

"Hey, Alex" she gave him a sly smile.

The smile that could shatter his thick, seemingly unbreakable exterior to pieces.

"How's Norman doing?" he asked, focusing on the ice cubes in his glass. He needed to shield the passion burning in his soft brown eyes.

"He's good, he's been sleeping a lot actually" she explained.

"Well that's good, after all he's been through he should be getting as much sleep as possible" he informed her taking a sip of his scotch.

Suddenly, George pulled up. Norma smiled at him through the glass window. She turned back to Alex before getting in his car.

"Have a good night" she smiled and shut the door behind her.

"You too" he forced through gritted teeth and a clenched fist.

He got up from the seat once they were out of sight and went back into his motel room. He noticed his skin was hot, his shoulders were tense, and his heart was pounding.

Alex didn't know who the man in the car was that picked Norma up, but he would love to bash his face in. He sighed as he realized how jealous he was.

"Unbelievable" he muttered, his lips touching the rim of his glass.

He was envious of a man taking Norma out and she wasn't even his...yet.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Exhausted and Intellectual in France**

 

As George led her to his living room, she took everything in. Sure she'd been in his home before, but she could never get over how breathtakingly beautiful it was.

They sat on the couch and engaged in small talk.

"You look breathtaking" he said, looking her over, grinning seductively.

"Thank you, and you look very handsome if I may say so" she blushed and giggled, peaking at him out of the corner of her eye.

He smiled, and placed a hand on her lower back.

"You wanna start the movie?" he asked, grinning slightly at her.

"Sure. What are we watching?" she asked, leaning back on the white leather sofa.

"It's a French film called "La Belle Noiseuse" he explained, getting up and pressing play on the DVD player.

She can't say she was shocked, it figures George would choose a foreign film, he  _was_ well-educated after all.

He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her up against his chest. She curled her legs under her body and set her eyes on the screen.

She barely felt herself fall asleep, until George's shoulder jerked, then she jolted awake, her eyes re-adjusted themselves to the screen.

"I love the way this film is shot, it really tells about the characters and their personal struggles" he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah...I agree" she said, even though she had no idea what the movie was about. She was inherently grateful when the credits came on the screen.

He reached for the clicker and turned the television off.

"Good, right?" he asked, a small smile on his handsome face.

"Yeah, wonderful" she said, forcing an entertained smile.

Slowly, he leaned towards her, his mouth quickly landed on her ear, he began nibbling her lobe.

Her hands scanned all over his back.

"Your so sexy" he whispered in her ear.

His lips crashed into hers, while his fingers made their way under her dress.

His hand drifted inside her panties, his fingers prodding at her.

"Slow down" she said breathlessly.

He fell on top of her and yanked her dress off. She closed her eyes and let him inside of her, not that he was forceful, he was rushed and rough. She faked an orgasm to make him finish faster.

Afterwards he drove her home, he pulled up in the same place he picked her up, outside of room 9.

"I had an amazing night, George, thank you for everything" she said, giving him a wide smile.

"I did too" he grinned, the car got silent for a moment.

"Would you like to come to dinner with Christine, me, and our parents Sunday night?" he offered, placing a hand on her leg.

"You want me to meet your parents?" she asked, a little surprised at the gesture, she'd only gone out with George twice.

"Well, yeah...I figured you'd like them, I know they'd love you" he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"Sure" she smiled and opened the door.

He grabbed her arm then and pulled her back in, dropping a kiss on her lips.

"Goodnight" he smiled, face to face with her.

"Goodnight" she gave him one quick kiss and slid out of his car.

She watched him go and stood there thinking.

George wanting her to meet his parents? This early? It was odd for her. She liked him, despite the fact that he was everything she wasn't. She hadn't detected anything wrong with him, except that he wasn't very good in bed, but she could fix that. She smiled to herself as she walked up the steps to her home and shut the door behind her.

The next morning, Norma was outside the motel watering the flowers. She always got out to do it bright and early, she was never one to sleep in, she couldn't bare the thought of staying in bed until the afternoon. She knew when she bought the motel it needed plenty of maintenance and care, she was prepared to do so.

Alex always left for work at 9 am sharp, he couldn't tolerate tardiness, but as he looked out his motel room window he saw Norma watering the plants. He couldn't even handle being around her, he had obvious feelings for her that he couldn't keep under wraps when they spoke. His palms got sweaty, he fidgeted, and he had to try his damnedest not to get tongue-tied around her. He knew he had to stay swift and on his games at all times or else she wouldn't even think twice about looking his way. Though his desire for the woman was plain to see he walked outside anyway, he had to get to work, the 9 hours of his day where he could get away from Norma, getting his mind off of her was a different story. He kept his head down and paced directly to his SUV.

"Hi, Alex" he heard from behind her, he scrunched up his face at the failed attempt, of course she was going to say something to him.

When he went to turn and face her, he lost his balance and tripped on the tiny rocks below him. He looked down, his butt on the gravel, his hands flat on the ground behind him, he was absolutely humiliated. He didn't need a mirror to know his face was beat read.

"Oh my God, Alex" she said, her mouth wide open, her voice laced with genuine concern.

Norma dropped the water can immediately and rushed over to him. She offered him her hand.

He gave her a tight smile and grabbed a hold of her, she pulled him up, causing him to lean forward into her.

"Sorry" he muttered as he pulled away from her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, dusting off the shoulders of his uniform.

"I'm fine, Norma" he said seriously, causing her to drop her hands back down to her sides.

"Thanks" he said before getting into his SUV and driving to work.

On his way to the station, a voice in his had kept berating him, for making an idiot of himself in front of the one woman he wanted to impress. Looks like he wasn't the smooth ladies man he thought he could be. He shook his head and tried to stop replaying the incident in his mind. He'd never been that way around any woman in his life, normally he could hold his own with most of them, but Norma...Norma had a way over him that no one else did. He pulled into the station, ready to throw himself into his work, as if that would clear his love laced thoughts.

Norma sat at the motel desk, taking reservations. Suddenly, George came in.

"George- I, uh, I wasn't expecting you to come by" she said, bewildered by his surprise visit.

"Don't you answer your phone?" he asked, extremely frustrated.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I must have called you six times" he said, waving his phone in front of her face.

"I don't have my cell on me, I've been busy all morning" she explained.

She was angry that he would accuse her of ignoring him intentionally, but she tried to brush it off, she didn't want to mess up what they had, he was her only stability.

"Well, I spoke with my parents, we need to meet them at 8 pm tomorrow night. I'll pick you up then?" he said, returning back to his charming self.

She was speechless, she opened her mouth to try to find words but she couldn't, she didn't feel invited anymore, she felt forced. But then, seeing that nice smile on George's face made her obedient.

She nodded and went back to work, he smiled at her.

"I need to get back to work, but I'll see you later. And keep your phone on" he said, the last sentence sounding like a scolding.

He was probably just having a bad day, why else would he come in and berate her for something as little a deal as not picking up his calls. She stopped obsessing over it, she knew George was right for her, she deserved someone like him, someone who really cared about her, gave her all his love, and paid attention to her needs. She still felt shitty about his attitude though, she looked up from her laptop, her eyes falling to the parking lot outside, all she could picture was Alex falling down, she smiled to herself and went back to work.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Awkward Introduction**

Thursday morning, Norma sat in the front office, she was sorting out files. She liked the home and the motel but she always found something that the old owner left behind, reminding her more and more of Keith Summers. As she went through the papers, she truly saw how much debt the family was in. She shook her head and tossed them all in the nearest trash can. She then headed outside and started sweeping the motel porch, she knew she had to maintain a serious upkeep if she wanted to have a successful business with steady customers. She looked up at the main road and saw George's car pulling towards him. She felt a mixture of happiness and regret. With George's flighty new attitude, she was never really sure what to expect. She watched as he stepped out of the car. His eyes met hers and he gave her a kind smile. She let out a sigh of relief, he seemed happy enough. He walked up to her and slid his arms around her waist, kissing her neck.

"Hi" he said playfully.

"Hello" she exclaimed, feeling his tongue on her skin.

"What are you doing here?" she withdrew and smiled.

"I'm on my lunch break and I figured I'd come see you" he explained, running his hands up and down her arms.

He looked around then, and pushed her gently up against the motel wall, his hands on her ass. She rested her lips on his.

They froze when they heard someone clear their throat behind them, they turned their heads simultaneously.

Norma's face was red with embarrassment when she saw Alex standing their watching them.

Norma wiped her lips with the back of her hand, untangled herself from George, and walked towards him.

"Need something?" she said, flustered and still trying to catch her breath.

"Uh, yeah...just some fresh linens" he asked, his hand on the nape of his neck, an awkward tension in the air.

"Oh yeah, in the back office, I'll go grab some" she said blankly, heading into the office.

When she was gone, Alex eyed George.

He walked over to him and shook his hand.

"Hi, I'm George Heldens" he introduced himself, a friendly smile on his face.

"Sheriff Alex Romero" he replied, his voice gruff, his grip tight.

"You and Norma...dating?" he asked casually, as if he didn't care, even through the underlying part of him wanted to tell George to screw off so he could have Norma to himself.

"We are" he smiled, looking over his shoulder.

Alex nodded slowly and stood there waiting. He couldn't define the rage he felt for this man, someone he'd never met or seen in his life. He was jealous of him, sure, but not because of his handsome features or nice car, because he got to be with Norma, the woman he would do anything to be with. He just wanted to grab her face and tell her how badly he wanted her. He knew he couldn't, though he had a strong exterior, Alex was deeply afraid of rejection.

Norma walked towards Alex and handed him a few fresh linens, the smell of Tide in the air between them. She smiled at him.

"Here you are" she said professionally.

"Thanks, Norma" he grinned and walked back into room 9.

She paced back to George and smiled sweetly at him.

"Sorry about that" she said softly, her hands resting on his chest.

"Are you two close?" he asked, his eyes focused on her, a tight grip on her hips.

"Not really...we're just friends" she answered, confused as to why George would ask.

She had looked at Alex a couple of times, sure, but who wouldn't? He was handsome and protective. They'd grown closer over the past year but she knew he didn't think of her like that, so she never really bothered.

"Good" he said sharply.

A dark smile graced his lips and he kissed her cheek.

"I love how your so truthful with me...nothing like that bitch I used to date" he grimaced at the thought, his face going from angry back to charming.

She gave him a small smile, unsure of how to respond to the vulgar way he responded to his ex. She wondered what happened between them. Had she been a cheater or had George just been paranoid.

He clutched her hand, pulled her towards him, and pecked her cheek.

"I need to get back" he mumbled, his lips still on her skin.

"Okay" she said freely, pulling away and gripping his hand before letting go.

"I'll see you later" he declared, walking back to his car.

She walked back into the motel office and got back to work.

Before she went to bed that night, Norma checked her phone, she hadn't been able to do so all day, so many people wanted to rent out rooms in summer it was ridiculous. When she looked at her screen, all she saw were notifications from George. She had at least 20 text messages and 6 phone calls from him. She figured it had to be an emergency. She quickly called him, hoping he wasn't already asleep. He picked up on the first ring.

"George, I got your texts and calls, is everything okay?" she asked, a sense of worry in her voice.

"Yeah, everything's fine, except for the fact that my girlfriend won't pick up her goddamn phone when I call" he said nastily.

Her breath caught in her throat.  _Girlfriend_? George was already calling her his girlfriend. She wasn't going to anger him further, so she figured she'd leave it alone until he was calm and happy again.

"I'm sorry, I was working late I-"

"I'm sure you were, what? Were you fucking that cop I met earlier?" he asked, his voice turning into a growl.

Her mouth dropped open. Norma couldn't believe this was the same man who swept her off her feet. Shivers ran up her spine, she swore she was talking to Sam again. She gained the courage to fight back.

"No, George, I told you earlier, we are just friends!" she yelled, rolling her watery eyes in annoyance and frustration.

"Just friends. I saw the way you were looking at him earlier!" he screamed back.

She rubbed her head. Alex. He was jealous of Alex, and she wasn't even flirting with him! She smiled at him, sure, but she was just being friendly.

"George, I'm not going to tell you again. Alex and I are friends, we aren't sleeping together. Jesus, your acting like I was rubbing up against him or something" she said, her voice growing hoarse. She didn't have the energy to argue.

"I'm sure you'd like that" he said, scoffing.

"George, stop it. I swear to God, I will end it right now" she threatened, she knew that was the only way to get him to knock it off.

"No, no, Norma, please...I'm sorry, baby" he groaned sadly "I didn't mean it...I just got jealous, that's all. Your just, your so beautiful and I see the way guys look at you" he said sweetly.

"George, you have to trust me, okay? I won't cheat on you. The only flirting me and Alex were doing was in your head" she reassured him, chuckling a bit.

"I trust you, I'm sorry" he apologized sincerely.

She smiled, she'd never had a guy hurt her and then apologize. She was so used to Sam and... _Caleb_. It was hard for her to understand that there were good guys out there.

"Good" she smiled, her voice soft.

"But...as long as were together, I don't want you to be around that Alex guy" he warned her, his voice coming at her like a threat.

She paused for a minute and thought. Avoid Alex? He'd been with her through everything, Abernathy, Keith Summers, Shelby, he found Norman for her. She took a deep breath, she didn't want to push Alex away, she needed him for protective reasons. How was she supposed to feel safe without him there? Who would take care of the demons that crept into Norma's life. George could but he wasn't a cop, he couldn't kill people who got in her way. And Alex was staying at her motel! She was bound to see him everyday, he came into the office every morning for coffee when she was working. She couldn't tell him to leave. She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.

"Alright, if it makes you happy" she said, giving up the argument, she didn't want to deal with it, especially when she was this tired.

"Thank you" he said happily.

There was a brief silence for a minute.

"Norma?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah?" she asked yawning.

"I-I...I love you" he said, tripping over his words, she could tell he was nervous.

Her eyes shot open. He loved her? George loved her? It was soon, but hell any stability was good stability. She thought about it for a minute. Sure, George was a good guy and she could keep him around for a while. But did she love him? Could he protect her and keep her safe? Did he  _really_  care about her? She could tell he was getting scared by her silence.

"I love you too, George" she said, smiling softly.

"It's good to hear" he laughed.

She giggled.

"I should go to bed, I have lots of reservations tomorrow" she groaned in discontent.

"Okay. I have to get up early too. Goodnight, Norma. I love you" he said again, obviously more comfortable saying it.

"I love you too. Goodnight" she cooed, and hung up.

She lay in bed thinking. She came to the conclusion that she was George's girlfriend. He had a temper, that was obvious. She needed to keep him under control, she didn't want another man to hurt her. The only men in her life who hadn't were Norman...and Alex. No, she couldn't see him anymore. If he wanted a conversation with her, she would keep it short and cordial. She had no need for him, not with George by her side. Norma fell asleep slowly, the thoughts of a new boyfriend swirling around in her mind.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Wine & Dine **

Friday night Norma was going to meet George's parents, she thumbed through her organized, aged wardrobe and examined each article of clothing with caution. She had to look perfect tonight. She decided upon a v-necked, purple, silk dress. Nothing too elegant, but just the right ensemble for her liking. She spritzed her lilac scented perfume on her neck before heading outside to wait for George. She sat on the motel porch waiting when she heard the motel office phone ring. Norma looked into the office window, sighed, and headed inside to answer, she figured she'd have to do something to pass the time.

"Hello? Bates Motel?" she answered.

"Hello, I was wondering if you guys had any vacancies at the moment?" a sweet voice answered back.

"Unfortunately, we do not. I'm sorry. However, if you still want a room, we have numerous check outs tomorrow, you can call back and see if we have a room open for reservation. Is that okay?" she asked pleasantly, she wanted to avoid all confrontation with anyone and be in the greatest mood for tonight.

"That's fine, thank you, ma'am" she said, hanging up.

Norma's face held a satisfied smile as she looked down at the phone, she was so grateful it wasn't another asshole.

George entered the office and looked her over.

"I've been waiting for two minutes" he said impatiently, a dark glare in his eyes.

"I'm sorry" she said, walking towards him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" he said, placing his hands in front of her, halting her mobility.

"What?" she asked, becoming more and more frustrated at his attitude towards her.

"You're not meeting my parents dressed like  _that_  are you?" he exclaimed rudely, squinting his eyes at her outfit.

"What the hell is the matter with it?" she asked, a nasty look on her face, she glanced down at her clothing, feeling insecure.

"Oh nothing, besides the fact that your breasts are hanging out like a girl you'd see at a truck stop" he said sarcastically.

She just looked at him with an open mouth, her eyes wet. She couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. Was this the same charming guy from two nights ago? The same man who called her his girlfriend, told her he loved her.

"You need to change and then we'll go" he said strictly.

Despite his cruel words and the demonic look in his eyes, she wouldn't move, she was in frightened awe of what came over him.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm, hard. He leaned closer to her and they locked eyes.

" _Now_ " he said darkly, his voice almost a growl.

He walked out towards the car and glanced back at her.

"I'll be waiting" he said sounding annoyed.

She took a minute. What was happening? He had to be in a bad mood, maybe he just had a really stressful day at work or maybe he got nervous around his parents. She wasn't sure but she took a deep breath and headed outside, but not before bumping into Alex, a concerned look on his face. She moved back, further away from him, knowing George's mood would sour even more if he saw them talking, even if they made eye contact, it would set him off.

He leaned close to her, as if he were about to tell her a secret.

"Does he always talk to you like that?" he asked, his eyes warm, his voice laced with concern.

" _God_ , eavesdrop much?" she scoffed angrily and started walking away, up the stairs to her house.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you" he said, his voice hitting her back.

She glanced into the parking lot. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that George's car was facing away from them, there was no way he could spot them together.

"Believe it or not, Alex, but I'm a grown woman and I can take care of myself" she said nastily, walking into her home.

Her face was hot with frustration, this was definitely not the mood she wanted to be in for tonight. One man angry at her for wearing the wrong thing and another who just wanted to but into her life. Norma silently swore that Alex Romero would do whatever it took to put her behind bars, he wanted to get her in trouble and make her suffer. She couldn't figure out why, but she blew the thought off as she went back into her wardrobe and picked another dress. When she walked outside and into George's car, he looked her over again.

"See, that's much better" he said, examining her lacy taupe dinner dress.

She nodded at him and they drove off.

As they walked through the restaurant, Norma felt sharp waves of anxiety rise in her stomach. She was so scared to meet The Heldens, she longed to make a good impression. She would have to put on an act, something that made her look like a sweet, innocent woman. She needed them to see that she was perfect for her son, she could make him happy. George led her to the table. He walked over to his parents and gave his mother a hug and his father a pat on the shoulder. Norma outstretched her hand to the couple, giving them her most pleasant, wide smile.

"Mom, Dad, this is Norma Bates, the woman I've been seeing" he smiled at her.

"Hello dear, I'm Helena" she gave her a grin and motioned for her to sit down next to her.

"And I'm Ralph" he smiled, and kissed her hand.

"Nice to meet you both, you have a wonderful son" she said, flashing a polite smirk George's way.

He nodded at her slightly, almost as if he was telling her that she was doing and saying the right things so far.

"Where's Christine?" George asked, raising an eyebrow and looking for his sister.

"Oh, she couldn't make it tonight, she and Peter had a charity benefit" Helena explained, reading her menu.

"I understand. You know, she introduced Norma and I" he laughed and eyed her from across the table.

"How did you and Christine meet?" Ralph asked Norma, locking eyes with her.

He had the same ones as George, a pair of light green, kind eyes.

"Christine and I met at a community theater event" she explained, taking a sip of red whine, she had to loosen up.

"How nice" Helena smiled sweetly and patted her hand.

Norma smiled at her, she looked identical to Christine.

"So, how long have you two been seeing one another?" Ralph asked, taking his glasses off to clean them.

"A month" George claimed.

Norma shrugged and grinned, she supposed it had been that long, they'd only made it official two days ago.

"So, Norma, where did you go to school?" Ralph asked curiously.

She could tell he was the one who wanted to get the most information on her. She went frozen at that question, it was either lie or tell him the honest to God truth. One way they all trade phony smiles and the other they all look down on her. She decided if she wanted a good, healthy relationship, she'd have to tell the truth, something she hadn't done in a while.

"I, uh...I didn't go to college" she admitted, keeping her eyes transfixed on the table cloth, her hands sweating.

Ralph glanced at his wife across the table, giving her a warning look.

"I see...did you go to high school?" he asked, pushing her further.

She felt herself unravel.

She nodded slowly.

"Yes I did" she said, trying to maintain eye contact with him, though it was hard.

"You just didn't get accepted to a collage or you didn't apply?" he asked, he pretend to be confused, but inside, he knew exactly what he was doing.

"No, I got pregnant" she blurted truthfully, obviously annoyed.

She could feel George's angry eyes on her, but she didn't dare look up to face him.

"Looking at you I wouldn't have been able to tell" Ralph said laughing at his own words.

"What is  _that_  supposed to mean?" she asked, her tone sharp.

"I just meant, you don't look like the majority of high school dropouts, or early mothers I've seen" he said, giving her a sly smirk.

"Why? Because I'm wearing a nice dress and I can hold a phony smile?" she scoffed, she threw her napkin on the table.

She rose from the table then.

"I can't do this" she murmured.

"It was very nice meeting you two" she said, her eyes watering, she power walked towards the exit.

She walked outside and wiped the falling tears from her eyes. She couldn't believe what she'd done. A voice in her head told her she did the right thing, she didn't belong there, with people like that, the educated and classy, the kind of people that looked down on her. Deep down in her heart, she knew she shouldn't have done it, she should have kept her mouth shut and lied to George's parents, she should have tried to impress them rather then pushing them away. She rolled her eyes and sighed. She hitched her purse over her shoulder and walked along the road.

_How could I have been so stupid?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Vodka, Spit Backs, and Litter**

 

Norma walked two miles until she found a little bar nestled in between an old gas station and a convenience store. She decided she'd go in, she needed a drink after tonight.

As Norma walked inside, she looked at her surroundings. It was a dim lit bar, the smell of apple martini mix in the air, the sound of people rambling to one another way passed wasted, and some Lynyrd Skynyrd song playing in the background.

She took a seat on the red leather bar stool.

The bartender, a larger man, with a graying beard, in a leather vest approached her from behind the bar.

"What can I get for you, miss?" he asked, washing a dirty beer mug.

"Um...I'll just have a plain vodka on the rocks please" she said, reaching into her bag.

"It's on me" she heard from behind her, she jumped at first, then turned around.

She looked into Alex Romero's warm brown eyes.

"Alex, you don't have to-"

"It's on me" he said, handing the bartender a few bills.

She gave him an annoyed glare and sighed.

"Thank you" she said shooting him a tight lipped, small smile.

He looked her over. Her lace dress hugging her in all the right places, her curly dirty blonde locks cascading over her shoulders, and her beautiful blue eyes pale with an obvious sadness.

He confidently took the chair next to her and sipped on his Jack Daniels, his body smelling like a mixture of cologne and the alcohol in his hand.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked, clearly irritated by his presence.

"I needed a drink, this is the only bar in town where there are no 20 somethings buzzing around, slurring about random shit I don't care about. What are  _you_ doing here? I didn't take you for much of a drinker" he asked, watching as she sipped on the vodka.

"I drink on occasion, I'm just here because I...never mind" she said, focusing on the sports game projected on the flat screen mounted to the wall.

He kept his eyes on her.

Finally, she glared at him.

"What?" she asked clearly looking for an argument.

"You look upset, I figured I would ask what was the matter" he said, smirking, he reached into the bowl of peanuts next to his arm and popped a few in his mouth.

"Well, nothing is wrong. Stop bothering me, oh and by the way, I'm about one hundred percent sure those nuts you just ate were spit backs" she said, raising her eyebrow slightly at him, and grinning in minimal comic relief.

His eyes shot open at her comment, he reached for a napkin, and wiped his tongue, making a gagging noise as he tossed the napkin aside.

"How did you know those were spit backs?" he asked, his face still scrunched up in disgust from the taste of the saliva coated snack.

"Mmm, I used to work in a bar for a little while before I got pregnant with Norman" she said, nursing her drink.

She looked over at the napkin on the floor.

"You know, you really shouldn't litter" she said, motioning to the garbage.

"Never mind my shit. What's wrong?" he asked, scanning all over her gorgeous face with his eyes.

She looked at him, sighed, and opened her mouth to speak.

The amount of butterflies she put in his stomach was ridiculous. He sat upright, giving her his full attention.

"Well, I went to meet George's parents in this really swanky restaurant a few miles away. I made a complete idiot of myself and walked out" she said, laughing, and shaking her head at her own story.

"Meeting his parents? What is this high school?" he asked, tossing back the rest of his drink.

"He happens to be very sophisticated, he wanted to take our relationship to the next level...I was so stupid to think I deserved a man like him" she said, squinting her eyes at the contents of her glass.

"Hey" he said, placing a hand on her arm, his warm eyes staring into her blues filled with sadness and disappointment in herself.

"Norma, you deserve-"

"Norma!" she heard, breaking eye contact with Alex and looking towards the direction of the voice.

It was George, he rushed to her side, about to scold her, but then his eyes landed on the Sheriff.

"Hello, Sheriff" he said, nodding his way.

Alex gave him a sarcastic smile and sipped his drink.

George placed a hand on her waist and kissed her cheek.

"Norma, can I speak to you outside?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle.

She nodded, grabbed her purse, and got up to follow him to the exit. She was wondering how he found her.

Once they got outside, George looked around, when he saw no one, he grabbed Norma's arm tightly and pulled her towards the back of the bar.

He pinned her against the bricks.

"George your hurting me!" she yelled.

He only slammed her back against the bricks harder.

"How dare you embarrass me like that!" he growled at her, their faces inches apart. She turned her head away in distaste and fear.

"George, I'm sorry" she yelped, tears leaking from her eyes.

"And then you go and whore around behind my back with your  _friend_ , Alex" he thundered at her.

He took her shoulders and slammed her against the bricks two more times.

She squealed in pain.

"Ow" she cried, her voice laced with sadness and her back on fire.

"Your nothing but a slut!" he roared, his hand moving up to her neck. He wrapped his hand tightly around it, clutching.

"Stop!" she managed to gasp, his hand squeezing her tightly, her air waves being cut off every second.

He squeezed his hardest, then tossed her down on the gravel, walking away from her.

She watched his figure get into his car and speed off.

She got up and leaned against the bricks gently, afraid of putting pressure on her probably forming bruises.

She reached into her clutch and pulled out her phone. She called a cab to come pick her up. She moved back out to the front parking lot and waited for her ride. Norma prayed she wouldn't see Alex, she didn't want an interrogation right now. She couldn't believe what had just happened, who was that? That was an evil entity that only wanted to hurt her, that was definitely not George Heldens.

The next morning, Norma woke up with shooting pain in her upper and lower back. She didn't need to look to know it was George. She put her head in her hands and got up out of her bed. She stripped off her pajama shirt and went into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror, sure enough bruises covered her soft, porcelain skin. She can't say she was shocked, she'd been through the same exact event with Sam. The scars, bumps, and bruises didn't ail her anymore, it was just the thought of the person who gave them to her. Unfortunately, it was hot out that day, too hot to wear a cardigan to cover up the nasty afflictions, so she picked a dress that she thought covered them all.

She headed downstairs to the motel office and began booking check in's on her laptop.

Much to her adversity, Alex walked in, eager for his morning cup of coffee.

"Hey, Norma" he said, nodding at her.

"Good morning" she greeted him emotionless, still typing on the computer.

"What happened to you last night?" he asked, filling his cup with coffee.

"Nothing, George came to get me" she lied.

"I see. Do you have anymore sugar?" he asked, looking around on the coffee table.

"Um, I think we may in the back" she turned to look.

"Holy shit" she heard whispered behind her, stopping dead in her tracks, she knew what he saw.

"Norma" he said sharply.

He stared at her porcelain skin. She had a black and blue bruise on her shoulder blade, and another light green and purple one peaking out off the back of her dress near her spine. He was filled with rage when he saw them. He knew it was George. He wanted to kill him, massacre him, and bury his body in a shallow grave.

She walked into the back office despite his worry, reached into a basket full of sugars and creams, and grabbed a few packets. She returned in front of him and dropped them on the table.

"Norma, did George give you those?" he asked, worry and concern washed over his face.

She stared at the screen, blatantly ignoring his questions and accusations.

"Norma!" he yelled, trying to lock eyes with her. She wouldn't budge.

"Norma, goddammit!" he scolded.

Her head snapped up at her.

"What! What the hell do you want?!" she yelled, her face red with anger and frustration.

"Who gave you those bruises?" he reprimanded her.

"None of your fucking business!" she yelled, her eyes wide, an almost ravenous look on her face.

"Norma, I just want to help you" he said, his tone meek, his face genuine.

She couldn't let him get between her and George. Whatever they still had between them.

"Just leave me alone! Leave me alone!" she shrieked, a few tears making her cheeks wet.

"You want me to leave?" he asked sharply.

"Get out!" she hollered.

Alex looked at her, her voice was angry but her face was filled with sadness. Her bottom lip was trembling, her eyes overflowing with tears.

Though it hurt, he placed a hand on the knob and looked at her one last time, her stance still strong. He walked outside and shut the door behind him.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Shattered Hearts**

Two days later, George finally contacted Norma.

She was cleaning one of the motel rooms when her phone buzzed in her pocket.

"Hello?" she asked, her eyes flew down to see a sticky orange fluid all over her maid uniform.

"Norma, it's me" George said, his voice soft as ever.

"George?" she asked, sighing, slapping her hand on her thigh and plopping onto the bed.

"Yeah. Look, I'm so, so sorry, baby. I didn't mean to hurt you. My parents can be real assholes, and I'm sorry they made you feel insecure" he apologized, sounding sincere.

"I was a real asshole the other night too, I shouldn't have left you guys like that, I'm sorry too" she said, smiling a bit at the sweetness in his voice.

"Are we okay?" he asked, a sense of hopefulness in his voice.

She took a minute to think about it. She knew he could provide things for her that other men couldn't, a good lifestyle, nice income, an actual normal, happy family. She smiled at his words and advances.

"Yes. We are okay" she smiled into the other end of the phone.

"Can I come see you?" he asked happily.

"Of course" she said, wheeling her maid cart out of the motel room and returning it to the back office.

They set up details to meet around 9 pm that night. She took off the maid jacket and tossed it on the cart, a spring in her step.

* * *

Around 8:40 pm, Norma waited in the office for George. She updated the motel website while picking at a danish she had sitting on the desk. She snapped the laptop shut when she heard a car door shut outside. George entered the office and pranced behind the desk, entwining her in his arms. He held her head in his hands and planted a long, slow kiss on her lips.

"I love you" he said, looking into her eyes.

"I love you, too" she said, giving him one more quick hug.

"Mmm...you smell like raspberries" he said, pulling away from her.

She motioned to the half eaten danish sitting on the desk.

"Oh Norma, you shouldn't be eating that" he said, taking the plate and tossing the contents in the garbage can.

"I was just hungry" she said rolling her eyes at the dessert in the trash.

"Next time, go for some fruit or yogurt. It will keep you energized and skinny" he said, kissing her neck.

She thought for a moment, was she getting fat? She had confidence, but her body image was always a struggle. She was never happy with her figure.

"You think I'm fat?" she asked, big, sad eyes piercing up at him.

"Honey, your a only little chunky, not fat. I'm just saying eating shit like that will make you pack on the pounds" he chuckled, kissing her forehead.

"Oh, thanks" she forced a smile through the lump of sadness in her throat.

"Yeah, no problem. So...how about we go into one of those empty motel rooms and really make up for the other night?" he said, pressing himself up against her suggestively.

The thought of a flabby stomach, jiggling thighs, and underarm fat popped into her head. She didn't want to get naked in front of a man who thought she was "chunky".

"C'mon, your so pretty" he said, kissing her neck again.

She took his hand and led him into cabin 1, closest to the office. She figured the faster she agreed and they did it, the quicker she could put her clothes back on to cover all of her gross flesh.

* * *

Alex Romero stayed at his office late that night. He and Norma's fight had really stuck with him, it hurt. The way she spoke to him, the sad look on her face, and the bruises, those haunted him specifically. To think someone could hurt her like that, made him ache.

Suddenly, Deputy Lynn walked into his office.

"Sheriff, you going home?" she asked, packed up and ready to end her shift.

"I'm going to stay for a little while longer. Have a good night deputy" he nodded her way and gave a minimal smile.

"Night, Sheriff" she said, strolling out of his office.

He got up then and looked around outside, when he saw no one, he returned to his office, shutting the door behind him.

He logged onto his computer and pulled up the public records and criminal database.

Alex didn't like using the system for personal reasons or investigating someone without a reason. He had a very high risk job, playing it safe was the best thing he could do. In that moment, he lost all of his inhibitions and morals as he typed George Heldens into the search engine.

* * *

George lie in bed his arms behind his head, leaning against the headboard. Norma sit on the edge of the bed, re-zipping her skirt. He leaned over and twirled his fingers in her hair.

"You should cut your hair short again" he suggested.

"I don't know, I took me a while to grow it out, plus I wasn't crazy about the color I dyed it" she explained, buttoning up her blouse.

"Short hair is sexy hair" he stated, getting up from the bed and re-dressing.

"You don't think I'm sexy?" she asked, looking in the mirror now, she didn't find herself very attractive either.

"I'm not saying that, your plenty sexy, it's just...the long hair is unflattering" he admitted, putting his blazer back on.

She rolled her eyes at the comment, not only was she chunky in his eyes, but unflattering? Sam may have beat the shit out of her but he never made a negative remark about her appearance.

"I'm going to head home" he said, taking her hips and kissing her cheek.

"Goodnight, George" she said, clearly keeping a distance in her tone of voice.

"I love you" he declared, placing his forehead on hers.

"Love you too" she exclaimed, holding onto his hand and walking him to his car.

He got inside and started the engine. She leaned in and kissed his mouth, with no words she returned to the motel porch and watched him leave.

As soon as he pulled away, Alex pulled into his now vacant spot. Norma rolled her eyes in distaste and walked back towards the office. She thought she was unnoticeable until she heard Alex call her name from behind. She cursed internally and turned around, an angry pout hung from her lips. He took a minute to look at her, she looked amazing as always, her hair slightly tussled, her cheeks giving a glow despite the repugnance on her face.

"What do you want, Alex?" she sighed, already checked out of the conversation.

"Can I speak to you inside, please?" he asked, keeping the encounter professional, though it was anything but.

She rolled her eyes and opened the door to the front office, he followed her behind like a lost puppy.

He closed the door tightly behind them.

"Now, what is this about?" she asked, her elbow resting on the desk.

He took a deep breathe and pulled a file out of his jacket pocket.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, already sounding miffed.

"Norma, I need you to listen to me" he said, his eyes filled with the utmost seriousness and consternation.

"What do you think I'm doing right now?" she asked impertinently.

He sighed and moved over closer to her, looking at her from across the motel desk.

"Look, I did some research on George and-"

"Here we go!" she hollered, scoffing at him.

"Norma" he warned.

"Alex, I don't know what you have against him. I swear this is ridiculous, can't I have a normal relationship with a man without people prying in and ruining it? George is a good guy!" she claimed defensively.

She truthfully thought he was a good person but he did have some flaws, just like everyone else. She can't say she was angry that Alex would want to do research on him...she hadn't done any herself. Why would Alex pull up George's personal file anyway? Her relationship was none of his business. Unless he really did care about her...no, there's no way in hell he did. He liked to watch her suffer and get upset. Right?

"Good guy? Norma, he put his hands on you! I know he's the one who gave you those bruises on your back" he yelled, looking at her like she was crazy.

"So what if he did? I made him angry. Why do you even care, anyway?" she asked sharply, her voice annoyed and malicious.

He shook his head slowly.

"You know what? Just...forget it" he said, walking out of the motel office.

She thought for a minute. She had never seen Alex like that before, his eyes were filled with pain, his voice was weak, he appeared almost...heartbroken.

He was heartbroken at her words. She felt bad, but it served him right for pushing himself into her and George's union. He never cared before, why was he starting now? Suddenly, her eyes popped open, her body turned into a powerhouse, shock and surprise was written all over her face.

Alex Romero had feelings for her.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Watch Over You**

 

Norma tossed and turned all night long, she probably only got an hour of sleep. Alex kept racing through her mind. She scolded herself, how could she have not seen this sooner? He was always there to protect her, he defended her, and he always looked at her with those kind, brown eyes. Was Alex attractive? Yes. Was he a good man? Of course. Was she sure her suspicion was correct? No. She decided that if he really liked her, he would make a move on her. When a man truly cares for a woman, they would do anything to make them their's, right? She smiled to herself as she got out of bed. If she was right, Alex must have felt a searing jealousy whenever George was around. She chuckled aloud. Alex Romero jealous.

As Norma made her way down the stairs that morning, the smell of bacon filled her nose. When she appeared in the kitchen, she found Dylan at the stove, sure enough he was cooking bacon and eggs. Norma smiled.

"What's all this?" she giggled.

"Eh, nothing, I just decided to make you breakfast" he gave her a warm, half-smile.

"Isn't that sweet" she said, her breath in her throat.

Dylan hadn't done anything this sweet for her in a long time, besides finding Norman that is. Where was he anyway? No, Dylan deserved her full attention. Wherever Norman was, he was probably fine.

"It's not problem" he said, handing her a full plate.

She hugged him tight and kissed his cheek.

She took a place at the table, but looked up at him with a confused face when she saw there wasn't a second place setting.

"Aren't you eating?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted.

"Actually, I need to talk to my boss, we are having some problems with business and have to come up with an idea of how to fix it. Apparently, I'm the only one who can help" he sighed, putting on his jacket, dropping a kiss on her head, and heading into the hallway.

"Thank you for breakfast, honey" she said, a smile on her lips.

"Your welcome, mom" he replied before heading out.

She raised a forkful of eggs to her mouth, she was about to eat them, until George's words popped into her mind. Chunky. If she was chunky she shouldn't eat so much grease, right? She got up and scraped the food off her plate and into the trash can.

* * *

When she headed into the front office for work, she found a file on the desk. There was a post it note plastered on top of it. She peeled it off and read it.

_"Norma, I was an asshole last night. I'm sorry. If you want to read this, you can, I suggest you do. If not, just leave it in my room. The money attached is for my stay, I'll be back later to get my stuff out of the motel"_  - Alex

She folded the post it and slipped it in her pocket. She took the money from the file and placed it in the cash drawer. She sighed. Alex was leaving? His house couldn't have been re-built this quick. Truthfully, she liked having him stay at the motel, she had quicker access to safety. If he was leaving, she'd have to be on her guard all the time again.

She hesitated before reaching back into the file. When she pulled out the paper, her eyes drifted to the name at the top of the page. George Heldens. She emitted a nervous breath at the thought of his possible crimes. She read anxiously.

"George Heldens, tried for domestic abuse, all charges dropped"

She placed the paper down and shook her head.

Domestic abuse? That explains the violence and rude words. She thought he was bi-polar. Reading about his past abuse and offences, made her scared. She thought then, what if she brought it up to George? Maybe if he knew that she was aware of his criminal past, he would try to fix himself. She was still curious about why the charges were dropped. She figured that the Heldens were wealthy, they could have easily paid his ex wife off, warning her not to say anything that would land George in jail.

Just then, her phone buzzed, it was a text from George.

_"Can I come by tonight? Say around 9?"_  he asked.

She okay-ed his visit. When she saw him tonight, she would simply call him on his violent past, and he would be more cautious of how he treated her. She knew deep down, George was a good guy who wanted to take care of her, make her life better. George would improve and then they would have a happy relationship.

* * *

When 9 came around, Norma was anxiously awaiting him outside. She sat on the motel patio furniture thinking, as his visit got closer, she became more and more apprehensive. She kept thinking about how she was going to bring it up to him, how she would address it. Then again, it was just George, what was the worst he could do? Yell and walk out? Suddenly, headlights interrupted her deep thinking, it was George. He stepped out of his car and walked up to her. She rose and dropped a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey, how are you? How was your day?" she asked charmingly, she wanted to make sure he was in a good mood before bringing anything up.

"It was good, I got a raise" he smiled and dropped another kiss on her lips.

"Congratulations!" she announced cheerfully. He was bound to be in a good state of mind now.

"Thank you, baby" he said kissing her neck, his finger already undoing the top button on her floral dress.

"Um, George...can we talk for a minute, in the office?" she asked, nerves going to battle in the pit of her stomach.

"Sure. Did I do something wrong?" he asked confused.

"Just come with me" she said, taking his hand and leading him into the office.

She took a deep breath and locked eyes with him.

"What is it?" he asked, obviously getting impatient.

"Remember how you told me about your ex-wife?" she asked, grasping any amount of confidence she could.

"Yeah. Why?" he asked, his tone already becoming cold.

"George...did you used to hit her?" she asked quietly, easing into the question.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he asked loudly, moving so he was inches away from her face.

"I'm asking if you used to hit your ex-wife?" she asked, her voice gaining more volume as her frustration grew.

"How dare you!" he screamed, his face red.

She was about to open her mouth, but before she could say anything, he slapped her hard, across the face.

She started to stumble a bit, before he grabbed her arms, his fingernails digging into her skin, leaving bloody red marks.

She squeaked in pain.

"George, stop!" she yelled.

He hit her again, her cheek bright red.

"I should have figured you'd try to pull shit! Your a bitch!" he roared, fire in his pupils, dark undertones in his voice.

She trembled as she felt wet streaks falling down her face.

"Weak little bitch!" he yelled, punching her in the ribs.

She doubled over in pain, falling to the floor.

"Fucking whore!" he yelled, kicking her in the same place.

She gained enough strength to speak.

"Stop!" she screamed, her voice hoarse, laced with pain and anguish, her hands blocking her ribs.

He gave her a nasty look, and kicked her once more, this time in her back, right near her spine, she writhed in pain.

He spewed something nasty before slamming the door behind him.

She crawled under the desk, hiding in case he came back, she waited until she heard his engine roar and leave the parking lot before sobbing.

* * *

Alex was in room 9 when he heard a car door slam, and race away from the motel. He stepped outside then, a box full of his belongings in his arms. Something halted him as he began walking to his SUV. Crying, more like wailing. He dropped the box immediately when he figured it was Norma. He raced to the motel office. He swung the door open. Hearing her cry was torture to him, like his heart was being shattered into a million pieces. He figured it was George's car that sped off, they must have gotten into an argument. He didn't see her but he heard her, he walked closer to the back office, but soon found her under the desk. Her body was curled up like an infant. Her face streaming with tears and a bit of blood. He felt searing pain all throughout his body, Norma was in pain, she was bleeding, bruised, and trembling.

"Norma" he said softly, his comforting voice filling her ears.

He got down on his knees and looked at her. She lifted her head up, making eye contact with him. She cried, shaking her head silently before moving into his arms. He cleared the matted hair out of her face and clutched her tighter to his chest.

"Shh, it's okay Norma, I'm right here" he whispered, he leaned against the motel wall, her still shaking in his arms.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise"

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Kissing Her Scars**

 

After a little while, Norma broke away, out of Alex's arms. She sat on the floor and looked at him. She wiped her eyes and sniffled.

"Was it George?" he asked sympathetically, his knees up to his chest, still resting up against the wall. His kindhearted eyes focused on her.

She nodded slowly, her her face filled with sorrow.

"Oh, Norma...I'm sorry" he said tenderly.

She looked at him then, seeing his caring eyes warmed her heart. How could she have not realized this all along?

"It's okay. He's an asshole, I should have listened to you in the first place.  _I_  should be the one apologizing to  _you_ " she admitted.

"No, you don't have to. I understand, you thought he was a good guy" he said, empathy in his voice.

"Thank you" she exclaimed, a small smile leaving her lips.

"For what?" he asked surprised.

"This. You made me feel better. You're always there for me, Alex. Your like my personal Superman" she giggled.

"I'm no Superman" he scoffed comically.

"You are to me" she quietly appointed him.

He smiled at her.

She stood up, her hand resting on her ribs. Her face scrunched up in pain.

He rose with her, holding onto her arm.

"You okay?" he asked cautiously.

"Mmm...I'm fine. Just a little sore" she reassured him.

"I can drive you to the ER if you want a second opinion" he offered, a hand now resting on her shoulder.

"No, I'm okay. Thank you" she said, walking outside.

He followed behind her.

She glanced at his stuff on the ground.

"Are you leaving tonight?" she asked, turning to face him.

He got one look at the disappointment in her blue orbs and shook his head.

"Not anymore" he smiled, retrieving the box from the ground and bringing it back into his room.

She trailed behind him, taking a seat on his bed.

"Was your house restored?" she asked, resting her hands on the silky motel sheets.

"No not yet...I was going to stay at the Kings Motel, down the street" he explained, putting his items back in there rightful places.

"Why?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Well...I figured we'd been fighting so maybe it would have been best for me to leave" he replied, folding his t shirts and placing them in the dresser.

"Oh" she muttered.

He turned, flashing her a tiny grin.

"Can I ask you something?" she questioned, looking up at him, her big blue eyes shining.

"Sure" he said, sorting through more of his clothing.

"The other night, at the bar, you were telling me what I deserved before George stormed in. What were you going to say?" she muttered hesitantly.

"I was going to say...you deserved a lot better then George" he answered quietly, staring into her eyes.

She looked down at the floor and smiled.

"Yeah?" she asked, the smile still resting on her lips.

"Absolutely, Norma. You shouldn't accept anything but the best. Your a wild card, but your also really smart and beautiful" he declared, his face turning red.

Her heart soared when she heard his praising pronouncements. She had no idea he felt this way. The way he was looking at her was making her glow.

"You think so?" she asked, her heart beating so hard she could hear it in her eardrums.

"I do" he said, confidence coursing through his veins. He watched her as she rose from the edge of the bed and made her way over to him. She placed a hand on his chest, and looked up at him. She could hear his heart thumping as well. She traced his hand up from his chest and placed it on his cheek.

He slid his hand down to her lower back and leaned closer to her face.

Before she could pull his face closer to her lips, he stopped her.

"Are you sure?" he whispered, his hot breath against her cool skin.

She nodded and smiled slowly, leaning in again, placing her lips on his gently.

He held her hips in his hands, rubbing up and down slowly.

She wrapped her arms around the nape of his neck.

He unhurriedly slid his warm tongue inside of her mouth, she circled his with her own.

She could feel him, hard in his jeans, pressing into her through the cloth of her short dress.

She smiled at the feeling. He spun her around slowly. They broke the kiss and smiled at one another.

She glanced down at his erection and grinned.

"Alex" she exclaimed surprised.

She reached up and unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it to the floor, and raking her nails up and down his muscular build.

He shivered and relished the feel. She stopped and stripped her cardigan off, whipping it aside.

He took her waist in his arms and slowly kissed her neck, his tongue making hesitant circles on her skin.

She bit back a moan and his hands carefully moved and down her thighs. He lifted her and gently lay her on his bed, stripping her dress off.

He glared at the brown bruises on her stomach and rib cage. He gave them a pitiful look and kissed them all individually, she ran her fingers through her short hair, melting as his lips made contact with her body.

She reached down to unbuckle and unzip his jeans. He kicked them off, they fell to the foot of the bed.

He pulled back and took a minute to examine her body, despite the bruises, she was absolutely beautiful.

"Your gorgeous" he rasped, his eyes not missing a single part of her.

"You don't think I'm fat?" she asked quietly, sadness in her voice.

"Not at all...your perfect" he purred.

That was all Norma needed to hear, she took his head and pulled him back down to her, kissing him deeply, his hips pressed on hers.

"I need you inside me, Alex" she begged breathlessly, tugging at the waistband of his boxers.

He didn't need any further instruction. He slid her panties off and moved closer on top of her.

She reached into his underwear and grasped his erection.

He bowed his head in pleasure, groaning as she touched him, her warm touch on his desire for her.

Slowly, he moved into her, her wetness making it easy for him to slide in and out.

She threw her head back in arousal, moaning hungrily.

The sounds she made, making him groan in fiery passion.

Their hips grinding together, hands entwined.

He leaned down, his lips meeting her nipple. He lapped his tongue around it, making her nails dig into his back, her harmonious screams only driving him to try harder to keep them coming.

"F-Faster" she gasped.

He picked up the pace. Her breath hitched in her throat at the feel of frantic satisfaction.

"You feel amazing" he groaned, his head pushed against her collarbone.

She grasped his hips harder. Her touch scorching on his skin. She dropped a wet kiss on his shoulder, making goosebumps flare all over his body.

She held the nape of his neck, kissing his jaw.

As he moved faster, she buried her head into his shoulder, moaning in ecstasy.

"Cum for me, baby" he huffed in her ear.

She arched her back and held him tighter against her, she was close.

He jolted his hips eagerly.

"Fuck, Alex!" she cried out.

Norma shuttered, waves of uncontrollable pleasure rolling through her body, her eyes rolled back in her head as she hit her orgasm.

He felt his cock tighten around her clenching walls.

"Norma...yes" he groaned.

He grunted a final time and collapsed on top of her.

They felt white, hot heat between one another, they locked hands as they both tried to catch their breath.

"Your amazing" he praised short-winded.

"Your even better" she complimented.

They engaged in a sloppy, wet kiss before falling asleep, her head resting on his chest.

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: No Further Questions**

 

Alex woke up to find Norma still resting on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair, and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Her magnificent eyes fluttering open at the feeling of his lips on her. He smiled at her hazily.

"Hi" he said playfully.

"Hello" she replied, crawling back on top of him.

She busied her fingers with his chest hair.

"I had an amazing time last night" he declared, his hands resting on her lower back.

"I did too" she leaned up and kissed him again.

She was as addicted to his lips as he was to hers.

His hands fell on her cheeks, as she pulled away.

"Wanna take a shower?" he grinned seductively.

A devilish smile graced her pouty lips and she nodded.

She got up out of the bed, he followed her, taking her hips in his hands, lifting her up off her feet, which she soon wrapped around his waist.

He smirked and carried her into the bathroom.

They stood under the warm water, clutching onto each other.

"Can I tell you something?" she uttered, her eyes resting on his sweetly.

"Anything" he answered, his thumbs on her cheeks.

"I'm just really grateful to you for helping me the other night" she professed, her hands interlacing at the back of his neck.

"Well, you were in trouble" he said quietly, pecking her cheek.

"Alex?" she whispered into his water prickled chest.

"Yeah?" he replied, his eyes focused on the top of her head.

"I'm really happy you're here" she murmured, her lips against his skin.

* * *

As Norma watched Alex leave for work later that morning, she felt an emptiness, like part of her was being pulled away. She was grateful she made a move on him, she didn't realize she felt that way about him. Being with Alex was different from being with George and drastically so. Everything was the polar opposite , the way he spoke to her was gentle, he looked at her with kind eyes and a smile, and in bed he took his time with her, put her pleasure before hers. Thinking about him put a smile on her face, she knew he was going to make her happy. He respected and protected her.

Her thoughts on Alex were interrupted when she heard her ringtone go off in her pocket, she reached in and answered.

"Hello?" she questioned.

"Norma. It's George" he said, his voice sounding rushed almost.

She felt anger course through her veins, she scrunched up her face in hatred.

"Leave me alone" she replied scornfully, hanging up and tossing it next to her.

What could that asshole want? He showed his true intentions last night. Norma felt extreme fury when she looked back on their encounter. She felt the exact same way she used to with Sam. She swore he possessed George. She felt victimized, weak, and worst of all, hurt by someone who she honestly loved. She took a deep breath, not wanting to relive the past. She jerked her head to the side as she heard her phone ring again. She answered.

"Yes?" she said.

"Just let me explain-" George panted, sounding guilt ridden.

Norma quickly hit end on the call, fed up. She refused to fall for it again. She knew the cycle, hit, apologize, kiss, make up, and hit again. She'd had to deal with it since she was 11, from Caleb, Sam, and now George, she cringed at the thought of enduring more abuse. Caleb forced himself on her, and she'd been to little to protect herself. But when she fell in love with Sam, it was different, she knew she could end it, she just kept hearing the little girl inside of her screaming "No! He'll hurt you worse!" and she couldn't handle it. It was a different circumstance now that she had Alex, who would take care of her and defend her against her new abuser. She felt herself jump again, as her phone rang for the third time, she inhaled sharply preparing for another call from George.

"Hello?" she answered, about to blow.

"Hi" her expression and demeanor changed as she recognized it was Alex's voice over the other end.

She was so happy to hear him, she giggled like a teenage girl.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her face dreamy and soft.

"Nothing, just working on a file. What about you, everything okay?" he questioned.

She could her the protective nature of his voice, making her heart thump hard in her chest. She'd never had a man who so gallant towards her.

"Everything is fine" she replied, her tone sweet and reassuring.

Norma knew she couldn't tell him about George calling, it would only stir up another bad incident between the two.

"Good" he responded relieved.

"So, why are you calling?" she asked, already getting flirty.

"Honestly? I just wanted to hear your voice" he admitted sheepishly.

"Your so corny" she laughed, though her cheeks were filled with beet red adoration.

"I'm sorry" he mocked playfully.

"It's okay, I like it" she heartened.

"I like you" he flirted.

She giggled sultrily.

"I like you, too" she alleged seductively.

"And will you be up later tonight so I can see you?" he questioned with a heavy heart.

"Of course. Looking forward to it" she commented cheerfully.

"Wonderful. Bye, Norma" he dismissed her.

"Bye, Alex" she said, smiling at her screen as she hung up.

* * *

On his ride home that night, all Alex could think about was Norma, she was on his mind 24/7. He couldn't believe they'd actually had sex the night before, it was more amazing than he'd ever imagined and he had his fair share of fantasies. He was going to take it slow with her, he was in love with her, but he knew she didn't feel the same way yet. Norma had just got out of a tough relationship with that asshole George, he wasn't going to rush her, but he would charm her. Alex hadn't been in a relationship for a good two years, he wanted to make his newly formed union with her perfect.

As he pulled up to the motel, his heart beat faster and faster, he was so anxious to see Norma. When he opened the door to room 9, he thought he was going to explode.

Norma was posed on his bed, wearing only a blue and red lace thong and a matching bra.

His mouth dropped open and watered as he scanned her. She rose from the bed and stalked over towards him.

She kissed his lips hard and took his hand in hers, bringing him to the bed.

She moved so she was facing him, she gently pushed him back on the bed.

"Nor-"

"Shhh" she shushed him, placing a velvety finger on his lips.

He watched her as her hands moved towards his waist band.

She unbuckled and unzipped his uniform pants.

She reached into his boxers and pulled out his hard on.

She looked at it and licked her lips.

She bit her lip and looked at Alex, giving him a sexy smile, before slowly placing her tongue on the head of his cock.

He gasped in pleasure, as she hollowed her cheeks and swirled her tongue around on his length.

She moaned softly as she slurped.

"Norma" he moaned as he felt her flick her tongue back and fourth.

He wasn't going to last for much longer, he gripped the bed sheets and grunted as he dissolved into pleasure.

She came back up to face him, her lips darkened and wet with saliva.

He felt his insides ignite as she gave him a sultry smirk, and kissed his lips.

"What did I do to deserve that?" he asked, still trying to catch his breath.

"Don't question it" she giggled, dropping a kiss on his neck.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Two Manhattan's and A Demon**

 

Norma whistled as she stood at the front desk, she was incredibly content since her and Alex started hooking up. She had never been touched like that by a man before, so gentle and caring. Every time she though of Alex, she couldn't help but smile. She broke her blissful thoughts as she answered her cell.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey Norma" Alex replied, his tone dreamy and love struck.

"Hi" she giggled softly.

Her laugh made Alex's heart flutter and beat a million times faster than usual.

"I was wondering if you wanted to get drinks later?" he offered.

"Well that depends, are you going to be there?" she flirted.

He smiled to himself.

"Certainly" he commented playfully.

"Then I'll be there too" she declared, an eager grin on her face.

He laughed aloud at her response.

"What? Your corny all the time, I wanted to see if it worked for me" she said, joining his giggles.

"It's cute when you do it. So...when do you want to leave tonight?" he asked happily.

"How about 7?" she asked.

"Sounds good, I'll see you then" he clarified.

"Okay" she smiled as she hung up the phone.

Just when she she placed her phone down, it rang again.

She picked up thinking it was Alex again.

"Hello?" she asked cheerfully.

"Norma?"

She didn't need to scan the number to know it was George.

"Stop calling me. Never contact me again. Do you understand?" she asked rhetorically, she clicked end and slammed the phone on the desk.

This was getting ridiculous, George never stopped calling her. Sometimes he called just to breath into the other end of the phone and hear her get upset. He was like her new stalker, she was hesitant to bring it up to Alex though, she didn't want him to worry, they were having a good relationship so far. She'd be damned if she let George wreck it.

* * *

Later that night, Norma waited outside for Alex to pick her up. She kept a look out for him as she felt her phone buzz in her pocketbook. She picked it up hesitantly.

"Yes?" she asked, obviously fed up.

"I really like that dress" George said darkly, chuckling.

Norma shivered and hung up on him.

She looked around her and glanced at her phone debating to call Alex, before she could, he pulled up.

She quickly shot into his car, scared that George may be closer than she thought.

"Hey" he said, leaning over and dropping a kiss on her cheek.

He looked at her, squinting as his eyebrows knit together.

"Norma, what's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost" he said, brushing a loose curl out of her face.

She smiled at him, still wanting to keep her experience under wraps.

She placed her hand on his.

"I'm fine, happy to see you" she said cutely.

"You too, you look beautiful" he said, observing her short, tight, black dress.

"Thank you" she grinned as she saw his eyes admiring her.

They went to the bar they were at the night Norma and George fought, as they pulled up in the parking lot, Norma felt a chill run up her spine when her eyes gazed at the brick wall she was slammed up against. She stared at it in distaste for so long, she didn't realize Alex had gotten out of the car and opened the door for her.

"You alright?" he asked, leaning closer to her.

"Fine" she said, as she crawled out of the passenger seat.

He took her hand and they walked inside, taking the same seats they were in last time.

"This looks familiar" she giggled.

He laughed too, keeping his eyes focused on her.

He set his hand on her back.

"What do you want?" he asked politely, as the bartender came over to them.

"Whatever your having will be fine" she smiled.

"Two Manhattans please" he ordered, handing him a few bills.

"Coming right up" he said, grabbing a few glasses.

Alex turned back towards Norma.

"So, how was work today?" he asked, making conversation.

"It was okay, not too busy, just a lot of cleaning...but I must say, the guest in room 9 keeps his stuff perfectly tidy, his bed sheets even smell like aftershave" she flirted, leaning closer to his face.

"How would you know what his bed sheets smell like?" he grinned.

She gave him a seductive smile before dropping a kiss on his lips.

They sipped the drinks placed in front of them.

Norma made a face when she drank hers.

"Strong" she announced, laughing as she swallowed.

As they got deeper into conversation, they heard a voice booming from behind them.

"Norma!" the voice yelled in cheer, as if they were happy to see her.

She didn't know many people in White Pine Bay, so she braced herself for whoever it was.

As she turned around, her heart dropped, her stomach twisted, and her eyes glazed over in fear.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

There was Caleb, standing in front of her, a big smirk on his face.

She cringed as he placed a hand on her arm.

"How are ya?" he asked, as though nothing was wrong, as if they were normal siblings.

Alex watched, taking note of the terror in Norma's eyes.

"Hey" he muttered, his hand returning to her lower back.

She flinched as he touched her.

"Who's this? Is he your boyfriend?" he asked, now intrigued by his little sisters personal life.

"You can't be here" she whispered in horror.

"Norma, c'mon, lets play catch up" he offered playfully.

She couldn't comprehend the situation, she was dead inside, numb.

"Stay away from me!" she yelled.

Caleb looked at her like she was crazy.

That smirk, she wanted to slap it off his stupid face, she knew it well. Whenever she was little and he touched her, he had that same look on his face, a look that said he wanted to do something devious, hurt her, and take great pleasure in doing so.

She rose from the bar stool and rushed out the exit.

Alex ignored Caleb and chased after her, he found her leaning against the car in the parking lot, frozen in panic and dismay.

He made his way towards her and faced her.

He ran a hand over her cheek.

"What happened? Who was that?" he asked, automatically wanting to help her, take all her pain away.

"No one...please just take me home" she said, her voice shaky, her eyes watering.

"Talk to me" he said, wondering why Norma wouldn't go into detail about what had just happened.

"Alex, take me home" she warned sharply.

"Norma, please you have to-"

"Alex! Just...you know what? Fuck it" she said, scoffing angrily and walking out of the parking lot, on the side of the road.

He raced after her.

"Norma" he said softly, but she wouldn't budge.

He worked hard to make Norma Bates his, he refused to loose her over a stupid argument. He took a sharp breath and cleared his throat.

"Norma, turn around!" he yelled, like he was talking to one of his criminals.

She could feel her eyes watering worse, she gritted her teeth and kept moving.

He ran closer to her, and grabbed her arm.

"Let me go!" she ranted, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"Talk to me, please, tell me what's wrong..." he begged, trying to make eye contact with her.

She shook her head and broke down in tears.

He reached for her, holding her in a tight embrace, she lay her head on his chest and sob.

Alex brushed his fingers through her hair.

"It's alright, Norma...I'll take care of you" he hushed, not loosing his grip.

Hearing those words made her insides beam with happiness even though on the outside she felt like shit. She broke the embrace and looked up at him.

She brushed her thumbs over his cheeks, leaned up and kissed him, pulling away only to give him a sad smile.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked softly, freely.

She felt a sudden brush of affection wash over her. She was starting to genuinely care for Alex, she wanted to keep him in her life. She decided that if she didn't let him in, there was no way he would stay with her, and that would crush her.

She nodded at his offer, though it pained her to talk about it.

"Will you take me home first?" she begged.

She couldn't be in the same area as Caleb, it sickened her, made her think of her past, something she never wanted on her mind.

Seeing the obvious pain in Norma's tragically ravishing blue eyes, he nodded.

"Of course" he agreed, dropping a chaste kiss on her forehead.

He took her hand in his and they walked back to the car.

Tonight, she would tell Alex everything.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Protection**

 

Alex and Norma pulled into the motel parking lot. They got out of the car, and Alex brought her into his motel room. They both sat on the bed, he rubbed small circles on her back.

"So, who was that?" he asked quietly.

She took a deep breath, she had to prepare herself, talking about her family was painful.

"He was...my brother" she sighed, pain and anguish in her voice.

"I take it you two had a falling out" he guessed, his hands still working at her back, an attempt to comfort her.

"No, Alex. When I was a little girl, he used to..." she started, her heart heavy, her eyes filling up with water again.

He turned back to face her, he kissed her cheek, and took her hand.

"Relax, you can tell me anything" he reassured her.

"My brother used to rape me, Alex" she explained, so frighted, her voice was almost a whisper.

"What?" he asked, shocked.

He knew there was something wrong with Norma. From the moment they met, he knew this woman had something to hide, a deep, dark secret. At that time, he wanted to prove her guilty. Now, all Alex wanted to do was help her, make her feel safe and protected...he was falling in love with her after all. He reached over and tugged her into his arms, dropping a kiss on her head.

"What about your parents? Didn't they know what was happening to you?" he inquired curiously, trying to delve deeper into her story.

"They didn't give a shit. My father was so, so violent, a monster. And my mother was sedated all the time, I barely spoke to her, she got into drugs right after I was born" she explained, obviously trying to hold her tears back, she wanted to stay strong for Alex.

"Norma...I had no idea. I'm so sorry" he said compassionately, tightening his grip on her.

She sniffled, burying her head into his chest, the smell of his cologne comforting her.

"So, did you move out?" he asked, his fingers twirled in her dirty blonde hair.

"I-I got pregnant with Dylan, he is Caleb's son" she stammered nervously, not sure how Alex would perceive her.

"Oh honey" he sighed sympathetically pecking her cheek.

"I just...I couldn't believe it when I found out. I knew I couldn't tell my parents or Caleb. I made my high school boyfriend, John, think Dylan was his, we went down to the courthouse and got a marriage license right away. I ran away from home with him, we moved to Arizona and raised Dylan for a little while...that is until I met Sam, Norman's father. I was so stupid to run off with him, we fought constantly, and it was incredibly violent. I mean John may have been distant but he never hit me" she scoffed, dropping her head in her hand, and clearing the hair out of her face.

Alex looked at her in shock. He couldn't believe all the information she was giving him. He felt such compassion for her.

"Norma, I couldn't even imagine. I'm sorry. You will never have to go through any of that stuff again, I'll always be here for you, and I'll never hurt you...I promise" he swore, kissing the top of her hand.

She gave him a grateful smile and gave him one final hug and kiss.

"Thank you so much, Alex" she said, squeezing his hand.

"You wanna sleep here tonight?" he offered, wiping a lone tear from her cheek.

She nodded and lay on his bed, in the fetal position, her face still filled with sadness.

He joined her and wrapped an arm around her middle.

"Everything will be okay"

* * *

Alex woke up that morning to Norma screaming into her cell phone, she must have assumed he was still asleep.

His thoughts immediately gravitated to Caleb, why would that son of a bitch call her?

He gently placed a hand on her upper back, she twisted to face him, her face red in frustration.

"Fuck you!" she screamed into the phone, pounding her finger on the end call button, and throwing it across the room.

She let out a loud huff and rubbed her temple.

"What's happening?" Alex asked cautiously.

"Nothing" she replied, obviously stressed out.

"Norma, you told me everything last night, you shouldn't be afraid to let me in anymore" he reassured her, sitting up in bed and dropping a kiss on her lips.

She couldn't say no to him, she caved.

"It was George" she admitted, feeling hatred from just saying his name.

"Why the hell is  _he_  calling you?" he asked, enraged.

What would that asshole want with Norma? His Norma. He was there to protect her, if she would let him, he would love to beat the shit out of him for everything he said and did to her.

"I don't know, Alex. He's been calling me ever since that night we split, it's like he's obsessed with me or something. He's really scaring me...I just wish he would stop" she sighed, her head resting in her hand.

Alex rose from the bed then, he slid on a new pair of pants and shirt.

Norma watched him intently.

"Where are you going?" she asked, shooting up from the bed, and pacing behind him.

"I'm going to go take care of it" he said, opening the door to the motel room, and heading out.

She followed behind.

"What do you mean?" she asked, it was plain to see she was worried.

He turned to face her, cupping her cheeks in his hands.

He pressed her back gently against his SUV and planted a lingering kiss on her lips.

He pulled away and ran a hand through her hair.

She moved away, her eyes still transfixed on him.

He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Alex!" she yelled.

He rolled his window down and glanced at her.

"What?" he asked.

"Be careful" she warned, giving him a sad smile.

"I always am" he said, driving out of the motel parking lot.

As he drove, he kept glancing at the gun positioned on the passenger seat.

He was the town sheriff, he had power over everyone in this town, and he could get rid of anyone he wanted.

His anger and rage escalated as he pulled up to George's home.

He grabbed his gun and stuffed it in his jacket pocket.

He knew what he had to do.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Little White Lies**

 

Alex sucked in a deep breath before knocking on the door of George's articulate home.

George's face was filled with surprise and confusion when he saw him standing there, he raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sheriff Romero, is there something I can do for you?" he asked on edge.

Alex pushed past him and paced the floor of his house.

George turned to face him, still bewildered by his visit.

"What's going on?" he asked watching him with intent.

"I saw the bruises on Norma's back and ribs. Do you know anything about it?" he said, beginning his interrogation.

Alex knew he had to beat around the subject at first.

George slowly shook his head, a fake innocent look on his face, Alex saw right through him.

"I had no idea. Did she tell you about them?" he asked playing dumb.

"There pretty goddamn hard not to notice, she's covered in them" he explained, pain hitting his heart as he thought about the marks on her frail body.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't be of assistance" George claimed, a sly half smirk on his face.

Alex felt the anger bubble up inside of his, he brushed his thumb on the gun, making sure it was securely strapped to him.

"You expect me to just leave? You think I don't know that you've also been calling and watching her like some pathetic stalker" he scoffed, giving him the coldest glare he could manage.

"I'm telling you, I have no idea what your talking about" he sneered, his dark eyes darting at him.

Alex couldn't take it anymore, watching his stupid face and hearing him deny hurting Norma was driving him insane.

He hurried towards him, grabbing his arm and tucking it behind his back.

Alex slammed his body up against his wall.

George let out a groan and peered back to look at Alex.

"What the fuck do you think your doing?" he asked, signs of distress in his voice.

"Shut up!" Alex roared, kneeing him in the back.

He pressed his head harder against the wall, and lowered his mouth to George's ear.

"Now, you listen to me. If you  _ever_ go near Norma, call her, touch her, or even think about her, I will kill you. Do you understand me?" he growled, smashing his head against the wall once more.

Alex let go of him and turned towards the door.

"Why do you even care about her? She's nothing but a lying whore" he scorned.

In that moment, Alex snapped, he'd never felt that sort of hatred for anyone in his life.

He whipped back to him.

"You son of a bitch!" he roared in anger and angst.

Without thinking, he ripped the gun out of his jacket, and aimed for George's head.

He pulled the trigger.

Soon, George's body hit the wall, and his blood was coated everywhere.

Alex stood, looking at his lifeless body, clutching the gun in shock.

He shook his head and grabbed his walkie talkie.

"Deputy, we have a man down, killed in self defense" he said.

The device beeped.

"Be right there sir. Should I bring back up?" Deputy Lynn asked obediently.

"No back up needed"

* * *

White Pine Bay was a small town with plenty of secrets. As a sheriff, Alex had to keep a plethora of them.

Alex hated lying in his line of work, it made him feel immoral, honesty was one of the best things about him but under certain circumstances, he knew it was best that some things stay hidden.

Driving back to the motel, all he could think about was lying to his fellow deputies.

He told them that he went to George's house to question him about something, he got violent, so Alex shot him in self defense.

Luckily, making them believe him was incredibly easy. They were so obedient towards him, none of them would dare ask questions.

As he pulled into the parking lot, he felt a mixed sense of relief and fear. Sure George was gone, but what about Caleb? There was no question in Alex's mind that he would come back to mess with Norma, and he was definitely not going to let that happen. He couldn't kill another person, but he could certainly throw someone behind bars. He decided then and there that if Caleb went within 10 feet of Norma, he would have him detained and locked away for a very long time.

He shut his car off and got out, taking his phone out of his pocket and texting Norma, telling her that he needed to see her immediately.

When she didn't text him back, it made him worried.

He looked at the Bates home, her bedroom light was on.

Alex anxiously jogged up the numerous steps to her home and knocked at the door but no one answered.

He knew Norman couldn't be home from school yet, he turned back, looking in the parking lot.

He felt his heart drop as he saw Norma's car in the parking lot.

Waiting was agony, it just made him more and more worried. He finally twisted the doorknob open and walked inside.

He searched everywhere, her bedroom, the kitchen, the basement, and even Norman's room. There was no sign of Norma anywhere.

Running down towards the motel office, his fear grew, he called out for her over and over, but she never showed.

He reached for his phone again, clicking it on, with no texts from Norma. He called her, but it went straight to voice mail.

His heart was racing a million miles a minute, his breath shaky.

He stood thinking for a moment.

The back door. He never checked the back door leading to the kitchen in the Bates home.

He sped up the stairs with lighting speed and paced quickly to the back door.

Just as he expected, it was ajar, an obvious sign of forced entry.

Who would break into the home?

He ruled out Dylan because he and Norma were on good terms, and Norman wasn't a possibility, why would someone with a key break into their own house?

Suddenly, his heart felt like it was going to burst, his eyes widened like an owl in the night, he went frozen solid.

His conclusion would explain the break in and Norma being missing.

Caleb.

He knew he shouldn't have left Norma alone that morning, he was also well aware of the fact that Caleb wanted some kind of revenge against his little sister.

Alex ran back outside, and hopped back in his SUV, ready to investigate all of White Pine Bay to find Caleb.

There was no doubt in his mind that he had Norma, he had to find them before it was too late, before Caleb had done the unthinkable and finished her off for good.

He swore to her, he promised to protect her and keep her safe.

As the engine roared to life and he pulled out into the road, he knew he had to keep that promise.

He would find her, wreck Caleb, and make her feel secure for once in her life.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Those Three Words**

 

As Alex drove his car through the streets of White Pine Bay, he felt fear course through his veins.

What could Caleb be doing with Norma?

He knew he had to save her from the trauma she suffered years ago as a teen.

Luckily, Alex knew where Caleb was staying, The Kings Motel. God knows Norma wasn't going to let him stay at her business.

He sped faster and faster until he reached the motel, it was gross, as vile on the outside as it was on the inside.

Alex remembered he spent one night at the dive when his house burnt down, laying down on the moldy, seamen covered mattress, he knew he had to invest in a room at the Bates Motel, despite his previous troubles with Norma.

Alex quickly parked his SUV in the first available space he could find, his heart was beating a million times a minute.

Looking around him, his heart dropped to find no cars around him, despite that he shut his engine off and made his way into the front office.

"Hello?" he called out, the office nearly abandoned.

"Yes?" a voice called, coming towards him.

He twisted his head towards the back office, to see a frail, graying woman approaching him, numerous dirty rags in her hand.

"Are all your rooms vacant?" he asked, scanning the place.

She gave him an anxious look.

"Who wants to know?" she asked smugly.

Looking down, Alex realized he was out of uniform, he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his badge.

She leaned towards the golden badge, squinting to read the identification, as she read, a small gasp emitted her thin lips.

"I'm so sorry, Sheriff" she apologized, cursing herself for questioning a cop.

"That's alright ma'am. Are all these rooms vacant?" he asked, his heart thumping louder and louder as he awaited her response.

She rushed over to her reservation book, placing her wire frame glasses over her dull green eyes, leaning to read the list of guests.

"Looking for someone in particular?" she inquired, still scanning the list of past and recent guests.

"Yes. I'm looking for a man named Caleb Calhoun" he claimed, his eyes locked on her scrawny fingers moving down the list of occupants.

"I have him staying in room 8, the last door on your right. Not too sure why you'd want to question him, seems like a good man to me. Always pays in cash" she chuckled putting the book back on the desk next to her.

"Thank you, ma'am" he said, leaving the office.

As he neared the door, he could feel himself shaking.

He banged on the wood filled with anxiety and fear.

"Open up, you son of a bitch!" he roared.

When there was no answer, he put his ear to the door, trying to hear any form of whisper or movement.

Alex could almost hear loud buzzing, mumbling almost.

He pounded on the wood again, but there was still no answer, he could hear the mumbling growing louder.

Placing his ear to the wood again, he tried to make it out...screaming?

Screaming. It had to be Norma, he didn't know what Caleb was doing to her at that point.

"Hold on honey!" he screamed into the wood, trying to break down the door with his shoulder.

He kept slamming the door, adverting all of his weight on it.

Pieces of wood disintegrated off the door, falling on the concrete porch at his feet, he was close to the inside.

Alex rammed the wood one last time, before the door fell open.

His shoulder was on fire but he didn't care.

He rushed into the motel, to find Norma right in front of him.

She was bound to a chair. Rope was tied around her waist, and duck tape held her hands behind the chair, there was also a strip over her mouth, muffling her screams. Her face and body was coated with blood, and she was stripped down to nothing but torn undergarments.

He rushed over to her, holding her face in his hands.

"I'm gonna get you out of here" he said, brushing his fingers over her skin.

He could see the tears of relief streaming down her face.

Alex tore the duck tape from her skin, gazing in horror and anger at the red marks it left.

He unraveled the rope from her torso, finally freeing her.

She struggled to stand from the chair, but Alex gave her his arm to clutch for support.

She turned to him, collapsing into his muscular build.

He ran his fingers through her matted hair.

"It's going to be okay" he whispered, slipping his jacket off and wrapping it around her still shaking body.

She clutched it around herself, trying to cover up, tears still streaming down her face.

He held her to his side, making their way out of the motel room.

They finally made it down the concrete steps and to Alex's SUV.

He lifted her into his arms, placing her in the passenger seat.

Alex walked around to the backseat, grabbing the blanket he thankfully had in there.

He returned to Norma, wrapping it around her.

He hopped in the drivers seat and took out his walkie talkie.

He reached over to clutch Norma's shaky hand, her head was rested against the window, her face robbed of all emotion.

"Deputy Lynn, we have a Caleb Calhoun staying at the Kings Motel in room 8. His charges include rape, assault and battery, and kidnapping" he listed off into the device, though his thoughts were solely on Norma.

"Be there ASAP sheriff. Name of victim?" she asked obediently.

"Norma Louise Bates. I'm taking her to the hospital now" he said, placing the device back in the holster, and pulling out of the parking lot.

He turned to Norma, her eyes still locked outside the window.

"Baby, I'm taking you to the ER, don't worry" he cooed softly, lifting her hand and dropping a kiss on the top of it.

"I'll take good care of you, I promise"

* * *

They pulled up to the ER. Alex got out of the SUV and went over to the passengers side.

He gently lifted Norma into his arms and walked inside, he placed her on a chair in the waiting room, dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"I'll be right back, baby" he said gently.

He made his way to the front desk of the hospital, still keeping an eye on Norma.

"Ma'am, my girlfriend needs to see someone" he claimed.

"What's wrong with her?" she asked, typing on her computer.

"She's been beaten and raped repeatedly" he explained painfully.

He hated thinking about what that bastard did to her, he hated explaining it even more.

"Okay, we'll get her in the examination room right way" she said, rising to her feet, a serious look on her face.

She walked over to the telephone hanging on the wall and placed a call.

"Dr. Moran, we have a woman in the waiting room. She's been attacked and raped. We need to get her to an examination room right away" she explained.

Alex watched her hang up the phone and make her way back to him.

"Sir, the doctor will be here any second to take a look at your girlfriend. What's her name?" she asked, ready to enter her information in the computer.

"Norma Bates" he said, keeping a look out for the doctor.

"We need you to fill this out" she said, handing him a clipboard.

He nodded and made his way back to Norma, sitting down next to her. Her face was still expressionless, her eyes held sadness. Alex placed his hand on her lower back, pain filling his heart as she flinched. She was obviously going to be scared by this experience. He couldn't imagine what she was going through. Raped as a teenager and now raped as an adult, by the same man. He exhaled a small breath and rubbed her back.

"Honey, can I ask you a few questions for your medical form?" he asked softly.

She turned to him and nodded.

He wanted nothing more than to hear her sweet voice.

"I already filled out your full name, but there are a few more things they need from you, okay?" he asked, maintaining the gentleness in his voice.

She nodded again.

"When is your birthday?" he asked, looking at the paper.

"March 3, 1974" she answered.

Alex was relived to hear her speak.

"You have two children, I know that" he mumbled, jotting it on her form.

He also filled out what happened to her, he wasn't going to ask her, she didn't need to relive that again.

"Weight and height?" he asked.

"124 pounds and I'm 5'5" she said.

"Baby, do you have any allergies?" he asked.

"I'm allergic to shellfish and pollen" she said, twisting in the hospital seat.

She didn't know how to feel, how to react to the events of that morning. Norma had only been sitting in the kitchen, reading the paper, and the next thing she knew Caleb charged inside and put duck tape over her mouth. He carried her out to his truck, shoving her in the backseat. She was shocked that no one was outside to see him capture her. All she remembered was him pinning her on the bed, raping her over and over, in every way possible. He bound her to the chair, to make sure she didn't go anywhere. That's when Alex came in, her personal hero struck again. She looked over at him, and took his hand, leaning over to kiss his cheek. He glanced back at her, giving her a hug, tighter than ever before.

Alex held onto her for dear life. He realized how close he came to loosing her that day, Caleb easily could have killed her. He knew they hadn't been together that long, but he wouldn't know how to handle it if she was killed. He knew he couldn't live without her.

"Hey" he whispered.

"What?" she asked, her hand running through the back of his short hair.

"I love you Norma...so much" he said, kissing her cheek.

Her heart beat faster at his deceleration, she didn't know Alex felt that way. He knew he liked her...a lot, but she had no idea how serious he was about her.

She thought about it, Alex came to her rescue, not just today, but all the time. She couldn't count the amount of times he had gotten her out of trouble. He even saved her son.

"I love you too, Alex" she said, gently kissing his lips.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Aftermath of Terror**

 

While Norma was in the examination room being taken care of, Alex sat and waited for her.

His cell phone rang in his pocket, he rushed to answer it, not wanting to disturb the other waiting room patients.

"Sheriff, we got him" Deputy Lynn said, accomplishment soaking her voice.

"Where is he now?" he asked professionally.

"We're holding him until we can schedule a court date" she informed him.

"Okay, I'll be there tomorrow to talk to the judge, and I'll have a police report done tonight" he claimed, his eyes transfixed on the examination room door.

"Yes Sheriff" she said, hanging up.

Alex was relived that Caleb was behind bars, he couldn't touch Norma anymore.

Suddenly, Norma exited the room and stood by him.

He rose immediately, taking her in his arms, slowly swaying her back and fourth.

The doctor stood behind Norma, piping up making them break the embrace.

"Sheriff, may I speak with you?" she asked gently.

"Of course. Norma, I'll be right out" he reassured her, dropping a kiss on her delicate skin before following the doctor into the examination room.

Once she closed the door, Alex was ready to ask a plethora of questions.

"How is she?" he asked anxiously, fiddling with his hands.

"Well, she had a lot of abrasions to her skin and she's been raped several times. I didn't take any samples because you informed me earlier that you already found her assailant" she explained, looking over the medical forms.

"Will she be okay?" he asked, a pair of worried, watery eyes watching her.

"She's going to be fine. I gave her some medication for the pain or soreness she will feel. I also recommended some wonderful counselors for any emotional suffering she may face. Right now, I would instruct you to make sure she's comfortable for the next couple weeks, talk to her about what happened if she lets you in on her attack. If she needs any more assistance, she can come back here or call me with the number I gave her" she said, handing him a pamphlet with a list of helpful therapists and emergency numbers.

"Thank you, doctor" he said, shaking her hand.

He turned and left, making his way back to Norma.

"Hey sweetie, ready to go home?" he asked sweetly, rubbing her lower back.

"Yes" she answered quietly, taking his hand as they walked outside.

"Alex? Can I ask you a favor?" she wondered, her eyes still big with fear.

"Anything baby" he answered, stopping abruptly, looking at her with full attention.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" she begged, clutching onto him.

"Of course. I'll stay with you for as long as you want"

* * *

Alex was relieved when he finally got Norma home and set up in her room. He was pleased to see she was resting in bed, dawning her most comfortable pajamas. Despite seeing her semi-relaxed, he felt pain shoot through him whenever she moved or twisted in bed and she scrunched her face up in pain. He knew it was from the numerous attacks. Her medication wasn't doing much for her at all. He watched her as she made the agonized facial expression once again.

"Hun, do you want me to call the hospital...maybe get you some stronger meds?" he offered, pulling on one of his famous black t-shirts.

"No, the doctor said it might take longer for the medication in the pills to work" she explained, putting her hair in a ponytail.

He nodded and walked towards her bed, crawling in and looking into her eyes. He reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair into her elastic.

She put her hand on his, gripping it securely, a small token of appreciation was all she could manage. Alex savored her soft touch.

Alex moved closer to Norma, entwining her in his strong arms. At this moment he wanted nothing more than to make her feel safe and sound.

All she could do was curl up in his arms, thankful for his hold on her. She wasn't sure what she would do if he weren't there today. Norma knew for sure she wouldn't be alive, Caleb would have killed her. She couldn't began to comprehend what had happened that day. When it was happening to her she kept thinking it was some fucked up nightmare. The more Caleb pinned her down, raped her, and yelled profanities in her tear streaked face, the more it became apparent to her that it was happening. After constant years of fear and looking over her shoulder, Caleb came back and was ready for some kind of twisted revenge for leaving the house, hiding the fact that she was pregnant with his son. What was she to do? Tell everyone, including her absentee mother and hard drinking, abusive father, that she was knocked up with a baby, something that's supposed to be beautiful, but in her case, a product of countless rapes that she endured for years from her own brother? Once Norma skipped town with John and an unborn Dylan, she knew there was no going back. The feelings of hostility and hatred towards Caleb had never changed, except when Dylan was born. When she held him for the first time, a beautiful, squealing newborn, she felt a love she never had before...all hatred and animosity towards anyone and everyone drifted away. Dylan was her whole world for the remainder of her teenage years, the good years where Dylan would actually need her, call her mama, and give her hugs for no reason. All Norma wanted was to be happy and feel needed. With Alex holding her now, it did give her some joy. He made her shitty life better. How could she feel so good in Alex's arms but at the same time feel so dead inside? Damn that Caleb...she hoped he burnt in hell for everything.

She dug her head deeper into his chest, the smell of his cologne incredibly comforting to her.

Norma still felt intense pain from the numerous attacks she received from Caleb.

Alex looked down on her, she seemed like she was ready to drift into sleep.

"I love you" he whispered, watching her eyes flutter closed.

"I love you too, Alex...so much, you have no idea" she proclaimed, sadness still apparent in her voice.

He clutched her tighter to him. At that moment, his heart swelled in good and bad ways. On one hand Norma just told him that she loved him a lot, and on another he still couldn't push Caleb and his vicious attacks out of his mind. Though he didn't want to, Alex knew he had to go down to the courthouse the next morning and tell the judge of Caleb's case. There was no way Norma would agree to face that son of a bitch in court and Alex couldn't blame her. He was ready to watch the judicial system take Caleb down, he would be locked behind bars for the rest of his life, and Norma would never have to live in fear again.

Alex was relived to watch Norma drift to sleep silently.

He leaned down towards her ear to whisper something ever so gently, so faint she probably wouldn't even hear it.

"I'll take care of everything"

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: In Treatment**

 

At around 3 am that night, Norma had the most horrific nightmare...

_Norma looked at her surroundings, coming out of a deep sleep. She appeared to be in a small chamber, when she tried to move she realized her hands and feet were chained to the wall. She writhed, trying to shake out of the cuffs._

_"Help! Get me out of here!" she yelped, already frighted._

_Norma shook and screamed, letting her back fall against the cold metal wall in terrified defeat._

_Suddenly, the door to the chamber squeaked open, and to her horror, Caleb stepped inside._

_He locked the door behind him, the click making goosebumps flare on her skin._

_Caleb wasted no time making his way over to Norma, getting on his knees, facing her._

_"No..." she started, her eyes dilated with tears, her lips trembling._

_He clamped his hand over her mouth, while she tried to kick._

_No!" she tried to yell over the force of his hand._

Suddenly her nightmare ended and she shot up in bed screaming. She shook violently, cold sweats running down her body.

Alex woke up to the sound of her shrills, disoriented. He sat up immediately and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him.

She thrust her head into his chest, sobbing, tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking his t-shirt.

He held her shaky body and kissed the top of her head.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked concerned, clutching her to him.

"I hate him" she groaned through the violent sobs.

"Shhh baby, you'll never have to see him again. I promise you" he kissed her cheek, wiping the still falling tears with the pads of his thumbs.

Her body still shook with sobs, Alex rubbed her back slowly.

He tried his best to comfort her, feeling relief once she calmed down, her head still resting on his chest.

"What do you think about seeing one of those specialist's that the doctor suggested?" he asked, looking into her tired, sad eyes.

"Oh Alex, I don't want to see another therapist. Last time I went I felt trapped...like I needed to lie to him in order to keep him from judging me" she explained, draping an arm over his shoulder.

"You've been to a therapist?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, last year. I um...I got in his face and told him off" she admitted sheepishly.

"Well I wouldn't worry about it, you can always go to someone else. And you shouldn't worry about being judged. They are trained to hear all types of stories, the good, the bad, and the ugly" he exclaimed, kissing her temple, and running his fingers through her hair.

"I still don't know. The only people I've told about my...ordeal, is Dylan, Norman, and well...you" she muttered, looking at him with a pair of worried eyes.

"What if I went with you?" he offered, propping her pillow.

"Alex, you really don't have to -"

"I want to, Norma. I love you...that means I'm going to stick by you through all of this. Honey, what you went through was awful, it would be really good if you went to a professional to help you with trauma. They won't judge you, I won't judge you, no one will" he promised.

She pulled him into a tight hug.

"I love you too, Alex. If it would make you happy...I'll go" she sighed, pulling away to look at him.

He dropped a kiss on her lips, giving her hand a quick, tight squeeze.

"And you'll stay with me the whole time?" she asked.

"Of course I will" he swore, kissing her one last time before they fell asleep.

* * *

A few days later, Alex was able to make an appointment with the best sexual abuse therapist in White Pine Bay.

The morning of their appointment, Alex made his way to the Bates home, knocking on the front door.

Norma appeared only a minute later, making her way outside with him.

He took her hand, holding it all the way down to his SUV.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, kissing her cheek.

"It's weird. Sometimes I feel so angry I think I might just snap and then other times I feel normal...I just don't know what to think" she sighed sadly.

"I'm sure that's normal, what you went through was horrible honey. The woman I'm taking you to is a sexual abuse victim as well, she has two degrees in physiology and one in woman's studies. She's anxious to meet you" he explained, clutching her hand again as they sat in the car.

"What's her name?" she asked randomly.

"I'll give you a hint...she's named after a spice" he grinned, tapping the steering wheel.

"Uh...cinnamon?" she guessed, her eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"Maybe if she was a stripper. Her name is Sage" he chuckled.

She scoffed, tapping his arm.

"Sage is a herb" she laughed lightly.

"I haven't seen you smile in a while...it's good to see" he said, a half smile growing on his face.

She picked up their intertwined hands and dropped a kiss on the top of his.

"I love you" she said quietly, a small smile gracing her lips.

"I love you, too" he replied sincerely.

"Let's go" he said, starting the engine.

* * *

When they arrived at the therapist's office, Norma felt waves of apprehension fly throughout her stomach. She had no idea what to do, she'd lied so many times in her life to a lot of people. She knew she had to let more people in and Alex was a good first step. She took a deep breath and walked into the doctor's office, Alex following closely behind, making her feel more secure than ever.

The therapist approached her, outstretching her hand, a peaceful smile on her face.

She had a Bohemian style, kind green eyes, and long pale blonde hair.

"Hello, I'm Sage Robertson, it's really good to finally meet you Norma" she smiled, shaking her hand.

"Thank you, Dr. Robertson" she smiled, feeling Alex's lower hand on her back.

"Please call me Sage, I like to keep things friendly with my patients, it breaks down the wall of professionalism" she said, giving Norma the warmest smile she'd ever seen.

"That's clever" she commented, her eyes wandering around the office.

"And you must be Alex" she greeted, shaking his hand as well.

He nodded, gripping her hand.

"Its nice to meet you" he smiled.

"You as well. Why don't the three of us take a seat and we'll talk a little bit" she motioned to a sofa cushioned in the corner of her office.

They nodded and sat down, Sage sat across from them in a leather chair, her notebook open on her lap.

Norma took a deep breath, preparing herself for questions.

"So Norma, why don't you tell me about your childhood?" she asked calmly, watching her facial expression change.

Alex rubbed small circles on her lower back, knowing it would calm her down.

"Remember I want you to be completely open with me...or else I can't help you" she comforted her, giving her time to breathe.

She emitted a small, shaky breath from her pouty lips.

"Well...my dad and brother were incredibly abusive" she admitted, fiddling with her hands.

"How so?" she asked quietly, writing down what she said.

"My dad just hit and screamed. My brother...his abuse was solely sexual" she sighed, biting her lip, her eyes watering.

Alex pulled her closer to him, trying to make her feel safe and protected, the things Norma longed for.

"Was your father there to witness the sexual abuse?" she inquired, observing Norma's shaky body.

"No...my brother always hid it, he would typically do it when...when um" she started, feeling the tears stream down her face.

Sage gave her a box of tissues, she thanked her silently, and wiped the tears, regaining her composure.

"My brother used to do it when my dad was at work and my mom was passed out" she claimed, sniffling, and clutching Alex's hand.

"How long did the abuse go on for?" she asked, crossing her legs.

"Until I got pregnant with my son Dylan...I was around 16" she revealed.

"And your son is your brother's child?" she asked, Norma was pleased at how neutral her voice stayed, looks like she really has dealt with a lot of cases.

She nodded slowly, straightening out her dress.

"Did you tell your brother?" she asked, still writing the information down.

"No...I told my boyfriend at the time that Dylan was his. We left Ohio soon after I told him and settled down in Arizona" she explained, focusing on her breathing.

"And how did you feel after your son was born?" she questioned, her eyes trained on her notebook.

"Well throughout the pregnancy I was scared...even though I was out of my house and away from my brother I felt like his presence was always there. And then when Dylan was finally born...I felt good, despite the fact that he was the product of something...awful. I felt like I had a purpose, like there was someone out there that finally needed me" she said, her heart swelling at the thought of Dylan when he was a newborn.

"Sometimes it just feels good to be needed" she said.

"It did" she admitted.

"Do you have any other children?" she smiled.

"Only one, Norman...he's the greatest teenager anyone could ask for" she said, forgetting about his black outs and only thinking about all the times he comforted her.

"Is his father in the picture?" she asked, locking eyes with Norma.

"No...Norman's father passed away two years ago, it was a fatal car accident" she claimed, emotionless.

"How was your relationship with Norman's dad?" she inquired.

"Not good...he was abusive too" she said without thinking.

Norma realized how easy it was to talk to Sage once she got used to it.

"I'm sorry to hear that. That must have been hard...growing up with an abusive father and brother and then having an abusive partner" she sympathized.

"It was...Sam wasn't the ideal father. He was lazy, he never lifted a finger when it came to Norman, and he was totally unemotional" she explained.

"How was your relationship with your boyfriend you had as a teenager?" she questioned curiously.

"John, he was wonderful...the one guy I was with that caused no harm to me. Except Alex" she looked over at him and smiled.

He grinned back at her, happy she was able to talk about her past, he was incredibly proud of her.

She smiled at the both of them, placing her pen down on her desk.

"Did your son protect you from your abusive partner?" she asked, changing the subject back to Sam.

"Norman is very sensitive, I never wanted him to witness the attacks, I would always tell him to go to his room or outside when I knew Sam was going to get violent" she explained, clearing her throat.

"I see. And did you ever try to have any more kids?" she asked softly.

Norma felt her heart drop, her pulse race, and she began to sweat. She was making such good progress...it was now or never.

"I had a miscarriage...about five years ago"

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Getting It All Out**

 

Norma straightened her posture and felt her heart beat slow down after her reveal, she could tell Alex was shocked, she didn't need to look at him to know.

"I see. What was that like?" Sage asked, giving her full attention.

"Well...with Sam and I's relationship the way it was, we certainly weren't planning on having another child, it just kind of happened. I found out when I was two months along and when I told Sam, he couldn't have cared less. He told me that if I was planning on keeping the baby I would have to move out of the house. A few weeks after, I miscarried...I always figured it was the stress he put on me" she explained, feeling tears in her eyes again, she wouldn't let them fall.

"You are probably right, pregnant woman should avoid stress at all costs...especially from their families. Though your relationship with Sam was a mess, how did you feel when you found out you were pregnant?" she asked, trying to uncover her full story.

"To be completely honest, I was almost happy. I had nothing going on at that time and whenever I though of having a baby, it seemed like everything was going to be okay...I love being a mother. Loosing the baby was certainly heartbreaking" she admitted, trying to keep her cool.

"How did Sam react?" she asked, placing her glasses on top of her head.

"He didn't really. He brought me to the hospital the night I lost the baby. I got the news, cried and cried. Sam just drove me home like nothing happened, the baby never even really existed to him" she sighed.

"That's awful. I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through it. You know it's not your fault you lost the baby right?" she asked.

"I always felt like I was to blame...because I was supposed to take care of that baby and make it feel safe" she whimpered, wiping her eyes.

"It's no where near your fault, Norma. It's never the mother's fault. Your abusive husband gave you an impossible ultimatum...it's natural that your thoughts were completely focused on what he told you. In a way you were protecting your baby, you were thinking about where you were going to go once it was born right?" she questioned.

"I suppose" she concluded confused.

"Well there you go, you had your unborn child in mind the whole time" she smiled.

She nodded, watching her intently.

"One last question?" Sage asked looking at her wall clock.

"Anything" Norma replied, feeling strong.

"If John was so good to you, why did you leave him for Sam?" she asked.

"Well, John was a great partner and father to Dylan. But when I met Sam...he was everything John wasn't. Sam was charming, sweet, and gave me his full attention. Leaving John was one of the stupidest things I ever did, it wrecked my relationship with Dylan as well. Luckily he has such a big heart, we patched things up a few months ago, we've been pretty close ever since then" she smiled, loving the fact that she reconnected with Dylan.

"That's wonderful! That's a huge step in the right direction, Norma" Sage said cheerfully, an adoring smile on her face.

"Thank you" she cooed, a tiny smile on her face.

"Unfortunately, that's all the time we have. Next session, I think we should talk about what happened to you recently. Your attack. Would that be okay?" she asked cautiously.

"I think it would be for the best" she agreed, rising up off the sofa, Alex joining her.

Norma made her way towards Sage, outstretching a hand.

"I really can't thank you enough" she praised, giving her the kindest smile she could manage.

"It's my job to help you Norma. We are going to make some wonderful progress. I am so impressed that you were able to open up" Sage grinned, shaking Alex's hand also.

"Nice meeting you, Alex" she smiled, making her way back to her seat.

Alex and Norma left the office, walking out into the hallway, and shutting the door behind them.

"Norma, I'm so proud of you" he said in awe, dropping a hand on her back.

She smiled at him and shrugged.

"It was nice to talk to someone who can relate" she commented, leaning closer to him as they walked.

"I never knew you had a miscarriage, I'm so sorry honey" he sighed, stopping her once they got outside.

She pulled him to her, clutching him like a lifeline.

"I love you so much" she crooned as he swayed her back and fourth.

"I love you too" he smiled, kissing her lips softly.

They got in the car and pulled out of the lot.

"Do you want to go get lunch?" he offered, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I'd love to" she smiled.

* * *

They went to a small bistro and sat comfortably outside.

"Did you ever think we'd be here a two years ago?" she asked, sipping water from her glass.

"Honestly? No. That night we arrested you...us getting together was the furthest thing from my mind" he chuckled, straightening the napkin in his lap.

"Hell, I can't argue. I thought you hated my guts" she smiled.

"Never. I never hated you. You annoyed me. But you were so...cute" he admitted, his cheeks glowing.

"I was?" she smiled, crinkling her nose sweetly.

"Yeah. And of course I thought you were gorgeous" he revealed, taking her hand across the table.

"Well, I thought you were pretty handsome" she giggled flirtatiously.

"What can I say? I just roll out of bed like this" he smiled, brushing a hand through his hair.

"Shut up" she chuckled, swatting the top of his hand.

"You know, I thought you were completely into Zack when we first met..." he admitted, chewing his sandwich.

"Zack was a bit more of a temptation...he was so much younger that me. I guess it just felt good to get attention from such a young guy. He's nothing like you though" she smirked.

"And then there was George...I'm so happy I got you away from that asshole" he muttered, still vengeful towards him.

"I can't thank you enough for that" she smiled.

"It's my job to protect people who are in distress" he commented, eyeing her carefully.

"Is that always want you wanted to do? Be a police officer?" she asked curiously, resting her chin in her hand.

"Always. My grandfather was a police officer and he would always take me for rides in his cruiser when I was around 6 or 7...watching him do his job inspired me to follow in his path" he reflected smiling.

"That's sweet. I take it you two were close?" she asked, poking at her salad.

"Incredibly, he was more of a friend to me. He saw my father was a total fuck up and he and my grandmother won full custody of me" he replied, clearing his throat.

"I didn't know that. What was wrong with your father?" she asked carefully, not wanting to hurt him.

Alex sighed, taking a deep breath before his explanation.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to" she muttered, holding onto his hand.

"No, you opened up so much today, it's only fair I tell you about me. My father was a big drunk...one night he met a woman at a bar, they got really drunk and slept together. I was the unexpected product of their one night stand. They stayed together throughout her pregnancy and once she gave birth to me, she left my father. They never spoke again. My dad told me she was a good person, but she had a lot of different problems going on. I lived with him up until the time I was 4 years old. I can't say he raised me...lots of times he would just leave me home alone or drop me with a neighbor. One day, he left me with my grandparents and didn't come back for four days, no phone calls or anything. When he did come back for me, he reeked of liquor and appeared to be on some kind of narcotic. My grandfather kicked him out of the house and took him to court two weeks later, when he won custody of me, I never saw him again" he explained, avoiding eye contact with Norma.

"I would have never guessed it was like that..." she began sadly, getting up to sit closer to him.

She took his head in her hands, dropping a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Alex" she cooed sincerely.

"I'm just really thankful my grandparents were there for me...I'm not sure where I'd be right now if they weren't there for me" he replied, stroking the back of her hand.

"Are they still alive?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"Unfortunately, my grandmother passed when I was in college and my grandfather died shortly after I moved here" he sighed sadly.

"Sorry to hear that. I'm sure they were amazing people" she smiled, running her hand through the hair at the back of his head.

"They were" he grinned, pulling her towards him for a kiss.

"What about your mother, though?" she asked.

"Oh...I looked for when I was a teenager. When I tracked her down, she was living in a crack house...didn't even know who I was, not even when I introduced myself" he said, his eyes watering slightly. _  
_

Norma hugged him then, not as a girlfriend, but as a sign of comfort, assuring him that she was there.

"It's okay" she muttered, kissing his head.

He pulled away and looked into her eyes, brushing the hair out of her face.

"I'm so happy I can talk to you" he grinned, his hand resting on her lower back.

"Me too"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: I Think I Love You**

 

Norma exited Alex's SUV later that night, making her way over to the drivers side, and dropping a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I feel really good that we opened up to one another today" she smiled, kissing him two more times on the cheek playfully.

"Me too" he replied, swaying her hips back and fourth in his hands, looking into her crystal blue orbs.

"Why don't you let me walk you to your door, it's pretty dark out" he offered, hooking arms with her.

Norma didn't reply, she just lay her head on the side of his arm, smiling peacefully.

They finally made their way to her front door, when she suddenly turned to him.

"On second thought, do you want to come in for some coffee?" she grinned, opening the door with her house key.

"I'd love too" he accepted slyly, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck.

"It's going to be really challenging to put on a pot of coffee with your lips latched to me" she giggled, spinning towards him and smiling.

He gave up and slid his hand in hers as they walked into the kitchen.

The pair were immediately and unexpectedly greeted by Dylan, all Norma could do was stand speechless as his eyes drifted to her and Alex's interlaced hands.

He stood in front of the pair, a sandwich in his hand, looking at them while chewing.

"What's this?" he asked, nudging his head up at their still entwined hands.

"Um...we're kind of...dating" she answered coyly, a small smile creeping on her face.

"That's cool" he answered calmly, walking back to the kitchen table, retrieving his dirty dish and placing it in the sink.

Dylan walked back to face the two, he cleared his throat. "Well...I guess I'll leave you two kids alone" he grinned, exiting the kitchen and soon enough the house.

When he heard the front door close, Alex immediately turned to Norma, an almost angry expression on his face.

"You didn't tell him we were dating? Don't tell me you haven't told Norman..." he huffed, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"Well...I didn't know how they would react" she shrugged innocently, starting her coffee maker.

"Norma, we've been dating for a month now. One would think you would tell the closest person to you" he said, taking a seat at the table.

She took two coffee mugs out of the cabinet and sighed, dropping them on the counter.

"Look, I'm just a little on edge...I don't know how Norman is going to take the news" she replied, already frustrated from Alex's anger.

"Take the news? Norma, he's a seventeen year old boy" he claimed.

"You don't understand" she muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"What? Are you afraid? Or...are you ashamed that we're dating?" he asked, immediately sounding offended.

"Alex..." she started sternly.

He stood from the table, walking into the hallway. Norma quickly sprinted after him, clutching his arm before he could get his hand on the doorknob.

Alex just glared back at her. "Where are you going?" she asked sadly, her eyes holding self disappointment.

"I'm tired. I'm going to head to my room" he huffed, she didn't stop him as he walked out side.

She slid back against the front door, placing her head in her hands. Norma knew she should have told Norman that she was dating Alex, but she couldn't risk his safety. Her son was overly protective of her and would have no problem taking Alex down. She sat conflicted, if she broke it off with Alex she'd be able to protect him from Norman's rage, but if she continued to see him, Alex could get hurt...severely.

Norma headed back to the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting at the kitchen table. She wanted nothing more than to head down to Alex's room and collapse in his arms.

"Mother?" she heard suddenly, snapping her head forward to see Norman walking into the kitchen.

She knew he couldn't see that she was upset, he would just worry. Norma stood up and pulled him into a tight hug. "Hi, honey" she cooed, kissing his throat.

"I've missed you, mother" he said sweetly, his voice as pure as ever.

"I know Norman, me too" she grinned. "Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate?" she offered, already moving towards the lone pan on the stove.

"That sounds good" he smiled, taking Norma's vacant seat at the kitchen table.

"I remember when you were younger. You would have these weird nightmares, always running to me in the middle of the night. I would always get up and make you hot chocolate" she giggled, putting the hot water on to simmer.

"Yeah and you used to put "magic dust" in the mix to keep the monsters away" he chuckled, now playing with a loose thread on his sweater. "What was that anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, you know, it was just a pinch of cinnamon" she turned back to him, smiling, placing the hot mug in front of him.

She took a place across the table from Norman, watching him sip from the mug slowly.

After a few moments of silence, she figured it would be best to ease into the honest truth. Norma and Alex were happily together and that's all that mattered. She felt so good telling the truth to Sage and Alex, she couldn't pass up being honest with her own son. She cleared her throat uneasily.

"Norman?" she asked softly.

"Yes, Mother?" he replied attentively, gazing at her with his sweet green eyes.

"Honey, you know I love you right?" she smiled, placing her hand on his across the table.

"Of course mom. And I love you, your everything to me" he grinned appreciatively.

All she could do was carry the same big smile on her face, grateful for such a wonderful son. Though Norman's blackouts were still a problem, that didn't mean she loved him any less.

She sighed in nervous anticipation. "Can I tell you something?" she muttered.

"Anything in the world, mother" he answered, drinking from his cup.

"Well...it's just that...I've been seeing someone" she admitted, a hand drifting to the back of her head.

"I see. Who?" he asked, his expression neither happy, angry, or sad.

"Sheriff Romero" she sighed, biting her lower lip.

"Do you love him, mother?" he asked.

That question made her sink a little bit. Did she really love him? He had always been their to comfort her and cover for her. There was something about the way Alex looked at her, like she was the only woman in the world. He treated her with the utmost respect, something she wasn't used to from men. Whenever she saw Alex, her stomach twisted in knots.

A weak smile graced her lips as she nodded slowly. "I think so" she whispered, laughing at the admission.

"Well...I suppose that's the only thing that matters. If he is good to you, that's all that matters to me" he said, making Norma's heart beat faster. She stood then, making her way over to her son. He rose and pulled her into his embrace.

"Thank you, sweetie" she mumbled into his chest, kissing him on the corner of his mouth.

"Sure thing, mother. I'm going to head upstairs to bed" he smiled, kissing her cheek and breaking the hug.

"I love you honey. Goodnight"

"Goodnight" he replied, walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room.

Norma breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She still didn't feel at ease though, something was still not right. She walked into the hallway, grabbing her coat from the hook and heading outside. Slowly, Norma descended the steps of her home and made her way down to room 11.

* * *

Norma stood outside the door to Alex's room, absentmindedly she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and knocked on his door. If she listened closely, she could hear footsteps in his room leading to the door. When he opened up, his tired eyes shot open to see her.

"Norma? Is everything okay?" he asked groggily, brushing a hand over his head.

"Everything is fine. Can we talk?" she asked, her fingers tugging at the sleeve of her coat anxiously.

"Sure. Come in" he answered, obviously still angry with her.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" she offered, stepping away from his room.

He stepped back inside, quickly slipping on shoes.

"Fine" he said, shutting his door behind him.

He stood locking his room, still wearing a white t shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants.

She grinned at his attire, but quickly wiped the smirk away when he turned back to her.

Soon enough, they made their way to a beautiful spot overlooking a lake.

"So, what did you want?" he questioned, remaining short with her.

"I told Norman we were together" she admitted.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded, keeping her eyes fixated on the lake.

"He came home a little while after you left and I just decided to tell him the truth" she explained calmly.

"That's all I wanted" he muttered, kicking the pebbles at his feet.

"I feel at peace now that he knows" she replied.

He looked at her, the way the moonlight was hitting her face highlighting every feature.

"I'm sorry I made you upset, Alex. You've done so much for me and have been so amazing through all of this shit, I couldn't ask for a better man" she smiled, rubbing his cheek with her thumb.

"I love you" he replied, tugging her to him, dropping a slow kiss on her lips.

She pulled away, gazing into his eyes.

"I love you too, Alex...so much" she smiled happily, letting him sway her back in fourth.

He left one more quick kiss on her cheek, slipping his hand in hers.

"Wanna head back home?" he asked, glancing one last time at the lake.

"Will you spend the night with me?" she replied, resting her head on his chest.

"I can't say no to that" he grinned, kissing the top of her head.

Together they walked in quiet bliss on their way back to the motel.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Devotion, Pancakes, and Muscles**

 

Once Norma and Alex made their way back to her house, they made the journey up to her bedroom. She looked down at Alex's clothing and giggled.

"I'd ask if you need to go back to your room and grab a pair of pajamas but...it looks like your all ready for bed".

He looked down and rolled his eyes playfully. "I actually went out like this?" he chuckled, making his way to the edge of her bed and plopping down.

"You didn't know what you were wearing?" she asked, grabbing a nightie from her bedroom drawer.

"I would've paid more attention to my outfit if I wasn't so distracted by your eyes" he said, looking at her with a goofy grin on his face.

She doubled over with laughter at his cheesy words. "Your so corny!" she managed between fits of giggles. He made his way off the bed and clutched her in his arms as her body trembled in chuckles. "You have the most adorable laugh" he complimented, kissing the side of her head.

"I'm going to go change" she smiled, turning to leave. Before she made her way out the door, Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. "Why not change here? Where I can watch" he offered up devilishly. She giggled and brushed a finger over his cheek.

"You want me to do a strip tease for you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He simply nodded and sat back on her bed. She turned to the small radio sitting on her bureau. As she looked for a good station, she swayed her hips to attract his attention further.

Once she found some old motown song, she moved back towards him, kicking her wedges off. Slowly, careful fingers found the buttons on her blouse, popping them open down the seam. The shirt landed on the floor, next to her sensually moving body. Then, she unzipped her skirt with caution, noticing how Alex's eyes were soon filled with arousal. When the skirt pooled at her feet, she stepped out of it, kicking it to the side. As she stood in her lacy black bra and matching boy shorts, she ran both hands up and down her smooth, porcelain skin. Norma stalked slowly towards Alex, sitting on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered her lips to his, teasing him but not mildly satisfying him with a kiss. She gyrated slowly on his lap, running her hands up and down his arms.

Alex watched Norma, more turned on than he ever was in his life. He grasped her hips and flipped her on her back. "Your the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life" he cooed, kissing her cheek.

She ran her hands up and down his back, taking off his t shirt as he kicked off his jeans. Alex reached back and slid her bra off. She glided her panties down her ankles and looked at him. He moved her up so she was vertically on the bed, her head resting on the pillows. He reached over and flicked the bedroom light off, pulling the covers over their bodies. Norma wrapped her legs around his waist. She pulled his head down to hers, so her mouth was near his ear. "Make love to me" she whispered, her fingers grazing the back of his head.

Alex complied to her, expressing his love for her with passionate thrusts and careful hands. The couple soon fell tired somewhere between the 7th and 8th time. They soon fell asleep, nuzzled against each other.

* * *

Norma woke before Alex the next morning, her hair was wild from his clutching fingers. As she cleared the platinum pieces from her face, her fingers brushed over a large mark on her neck. It didn't take her long to realize that she had a hickey branded on her skin. She wanted to feel mortified, but she almost felt a thrill, she felt like a young teenager. Slowly, her legs entwined as she rolled over and softly mounted Alex. She observed as his eyes fluttered open and his lips twisted into an instant smile. Immediately, his gaze adverted to the love bite on her neck. He reached up to touch it.

"I'm guessing I did that" he chuckled. Norma rested his fingers on his hand, now conjoined on her neck. He rolled over, so he was on top of her.

"You did indeed" she responded, pulling his head down for a messy kiss. When she pulled away, they both needed to catch their breath. "Morning".

"Good morning. Last night was absolutely splendid" he expressed, resting his hands at her side. She let her hands fall to his hips clutching his body closer to hers. He always felt so warm...it was incredibly comforting to Norma, who felt a smile coming on at his words.

"Absolutely splendid?" she giggled. He kissed her the spot on her neck where her hickey lay, raising his eyes to rest on hers, a half smile on his face.

"How many times after sex have I used the terms "good" and "amazing" to describe my performance?" he joked.

She let out a playful gasp at his statement. " _Your_  performance. I believe we both have the sore hips and muscles to prove it" she smiled.

"I suppose I should give you a little credit" he smiled, letting his hands explore her thighs.

Norma leaned up and placed another kiss on his lips. "A lot of credit" she said, pecking his cheek one last time before sitting up in bed. She draped the covers off of her now nude body and stood up, making her way over to her vanity chair. Her fingers clutched the blue silky robe that hung off her chair and she covered herself.

"Do you have to wear a robe?" he asked as he pouted like a little boy.

"If I want to walk around the house and make breakfast, then yes I do have to wear a robe" she smiled, walking back to the bed, and leaning down to kiss his lips quickly. "Now, come downstairs with me".

He groaned, throwing his head back in playful anguish. "Baby, all I want to do is stay in bed with you all day" he whined, taking her hand in his.

"I have a motel to manage and you have a town to run" she smiled, pulling him up out of bed. He grinned at her before redressing. Alex made his way to her when he was clothed, holding her hips in his strong hands.

"What do you want for breakfast?" she asked, swaying back and fourth under his grip.

"I don't normally eat it" he answered, pressing his forehead to his.

"Not this morning, mister. Your coming down stairs with me and I'm going to make you a big, filling breakfast" she smiled.

"Yes, ma'am" he joked, following her down the steps to her kitchen.

As they entered, she glanced at the table then at him. "You sit while I make you something" she said, kissing his cheek before heading over to the cabinet. She pulled out a two pans, the pancake mix, and a few eggs.

He watched as she pulled out every single ingredient. "Norma, you really don't have to go through all this trouble. I typically just pick something up for lunch around noon anyway" he explained, resting his elbow on the table.

"Nonsense, I am making you breakfast. I care about you a lot and I think you deserve it" she exclaimed, stirring the pancake mix in a glass bowl. "Besides, you're a sheriff, you need your strength".

"What? You don't think I'm strong?" he teased, watching her out of the corner of his eye, he rolled up his shirt sleeve and flexed a muscle. She turned, letting out a loud laugh as she observed him.

She recovered, dropping the pancake mix in the pan and working at the doughy circles with a spatula. "You're very built, honey" she giggled.

"Thank you" he smiled, cherishing the laugh she let out. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that I got an e-mail from Sage and you have an appointment tomorrow afternoon at four o'clock. Does that work for you?" he asked.

She dropped the finished pancakes on a glass dish and set it on the counter top as she got started on the scrambled eggs. "That will be fine. Can you make it?" she questioned, whisking the eggs in the frying pan.

"Of course, Norma. I will come to any and every session if that's what you want" he reassured her.

She scooped the eggs out of the pan, onto the half filled plate. She made her way over to the kitchen table and rested the plate in front of him. She leaned down to kiss his cheek. "I love you" she said.

"I love you, too" he smiled, taking his fork and scooping food into his mouth. "This tastes amazing" he complimented her, taking a few more bites before giving her a confused look. "You aren't hungry?".

She shook her head. "Not really. Plus, I have an early lunch with Dylan" she exclaimed. Ever since they reconnected, Norma and Dylan had gone out at least once a week to catch up, it was nice to just talk with her eldest son.

He nodded as he chewed on his eggs.

When he finally finished, he rose from the table with a full stomach. "That was delicious, Norma. I really appreciate it" he said gratefully, taking her by the hips, and dropping a sweet kiss on her lips.

"I'm happy you enjoyed it" she giggled, placing her hand in his. "Do you have to head to work now?".

He rolled his eyes, "Unfortunately" he sighed, gripping her hand.

They walked to her front door, stopping at the end of the hallway. "I'll miss you today" he exclaimed, kissing her cheek.

"I'll miss you more" she replied, rubbing his cheekbone with her fingertips.

"Bye, honey" he said, opening the door, and descending the steps.

"Have a good day at work" she called behind.

She shut the door tight behind him, already starting to miss him. At that moment, Norma realized just how in love with him she really was.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Unexpected Double Date**

 

It was later that night, there was a full moon hanging high in the sky as Alex stepped out of his SUV. He eagerly trotted to the motel office to see Norma. He stepped inside, his eyebrows knitted in confusion when he didn't see her at her usual spot, the front desk. "Norma?" he called out. Ever since the Caleb situation, he had been overtly and unapologetically overprotective of Norma, his main goal was to keep her safe and out of the hands of evil.

"Back here" she replied, he felt his heart rate and anxiety float back down to there normal levels as he realized she was simply in the back office. He made his way in the back and grinned as he saw her bent over a cardboard box, rummaging through for something. He paced over to her slowly, wrapping his big arms around her waist. Norma felt heart convulsing as she felt his touch. She spun on the wedge of her heel to face him. "Hi" she smiled, one of her dreamiest smiles that lit up her entire face and made Alex wonder how one human being could hold the features that she had. Her fingers drifted upwards, playing with the little hairs at the nape of his neck.

"How was your day at work?" she asked, feeling goosebumps come alive and flair all over her skin as his hands massaged her lower back softly.

Alex grinned, he loved when she inquired about his day at work, it showed him that she truly cared about him and his chosen profession. Most of the woman he dated didn't care about what he did, they didn't want to get involved in the details of such a high risk and difficult job. Most of his ex's only saw the finer, happier pieces of White Pine Bay. Norma...Norma had seen it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of the seedy small town. Her shock value was practically non-existent whenever he went into detail about his day as Sheriff, no matter how brutally graphic it was, Norma just shrugged her shoulders and praised him for taking on such a challenging job. Norma actually made him feel important...something that not many people could do. Alex knew it was brave of him, doing what he did everyday, but it was nice to hear it from the one person that actually mattered to him.

"It was interesting. I actually delivered a baby today" he laughed, keeping his grip tight around her waist. Norma's eyes pondered his face, her lips twisting into a surprised grin. "How did that happen?" she asked, sounding intrigued. She took him by the hand and led him over to the couch in the back office, they sat and she got ready to listen to him.

"Well, I was sitting in my office doing the usual paperwork when Deputy Lynn called for me. She was freaking out saying that there was a woman in the backseat of her car on the highway, she was about to give birth and Lynn had no idea how to deliver because she isn't done with training yet. So, I got in my car and sped to the disclosed location, found the woman and sure enough, I delivered her daughter. I drove her to the hospital after that and then went back to work" he explained, tugging Norma onto his lap.

Norma smiled and looked back at him, smiling. "How on earth do you know how to deliver a baby?" she asked, reaching up to graze his cheek. Alex smiled and basked in the feeling of her fingertips.

"When I was around 20 years old and just starting out on the force, I had to attend these training classes. One of the final things they taught us how to do was emergency childbirth. We had to watch a video and then take a test. It was probably one of the easiest things I learned how to do. I just never thought the information would come in handy, but now I know it was worth it" he smiled, reflecting on his early deputy days.

"Your such a hero" she sighed in awe, leaning deeper into his chest. "I'm practically dating a sheriff and a doctor mixed in one".

"I guess you could say that" he replied, pulling her face down to his and leaving short kisses on her lips. "You make me so happy, Norma" he said truthfully, rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs. She smiled adoringly, loving the things he said to her. "You make me happy too" she giggled, kissing his neck.

Suddenly, their necks both craned towards the front office as they heard the door snap shut. "Hello?" they both heard a feminine voice project. Alex looked at her with question in her eyes. "It's just Emma, she's getting ready to start her shift" Norma reassured him, rising from his lap and making her way to the front. She spotted Emma and smiled. "Hello, Emma. How are you honey?" she asked sweetly.

Emma gave her the classic innocent smile. "I'm well. And you?" she asked, wheeling her tank behind the front desk so it would sit near her feet. "Doing great" Norma answered, now standing in front of the desk, watching her get situated.

Alex came out a second later, walking towards Norma and standing next to her. "Sheriff Romero" Emma greeted him, keeping the smile plastered on her face. She had heard rumors around town that the two were now an item, she just couldn't believe it. For the past few years, Emma kept note of the fact that they had harbored this extreme sexual tension between one another but it never seemed like it could happen. Looking at them now, she couldn't help but think that they were a cute couple.

Alex managed to give her a small smile. "Emma" he returned the gesture, pleasantly. "How have you been, how's your father?" he asked, leaning against the desk. He'd known Will Decody for many years, they used to fish together. Emma grinned and cleared her throat. "I'm fine. My dad is great...the shop is doing fairly well with business so that's certainly a component in his mood" she laughed, now logging on to the motel computer and setting up the reservations.

"That's good to hear" he replied, still holding the half smile on his face. He turned back to Norma and reached for her hand. She clasped her hand into his hesitantly. "Emma, are you going to be okay by yourself?" she asked protectively. Norma knew that she was a maternal figure for Emma, she loved the role. If she had been lucky enough to have a daughter, she'd have wanted her to be just like Emma, kind, responsible, and sweet.

Emma nodded. "Of course, I'll be fine. I texted Norman over an hour ago and asked if he was going to work with me tonight, but he never responded" she sighed, clicking on her phone to check if she had any missed calls or texts from him. "Did he go out tonight?" she asked Norma, assuming she would know.

Norma thought, checking her own phone. She scrolled through the text thread between her and Norma, seeing if he had told her of his plans. "Let's see...ah, here it is" she began, reading the text and clicking her phone off, slipping it back in the pocket of her cardigan. "He's at the library, studying for some test he has on Monday. I don't think he can use his phone in there" she answered.

"That explains it" she concluded, reading the reservation book. "Anyhow, I'll be fine here, no need to worry" she smiled, looking at Norma and Alex's entwined hands.

"Okay, well, we're going to head out for the night. I will probably be back in a few hours, but if you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to call or text me" she reassured, heading out of the office with Alex. Emma nodded as she watched them leave. Norma and the Sheriff were one hot item.

* * *

Norma drove her Cadillac up and over the numerous narrow roads of White Pine Bay. Alex sat in the passengers seat, his eyes glued to Norma's content, peaceful smile. Eventually, she turned to him and brushed a loose piece of hair out of her face. "Do you want to go get a drink somewhere?" she offered, her blue orbs returning to the road ahead of them. He simply nodded and reached over to place his palm on her thigh, she glanced down at his hand and smiled. He reached over with his free hand to turn on the radio, attempting to find a good song. When he found something suitable, he leaned back and rested his head on the seat. Norma was lightly singing along to the song he found.

Alex looked over at her, his eyes hazy from his long day at work, he was aching to unwind. "You sound pretty" he cooed, watching her lips move to the gentle flow of the music. She just looked over and grinned at him, admiring how peaceful he looked in the moment. She pulled into a practically empty bar parking lot. The only vehicles around was a cherry red jeep parked next to Norma's car and a blue corvette at the end of the lot. She shut the engine off and tapped Alex's shoulder, he had gently dozed off as she drove.

He shuttered, slightly disoriented. "What is it?" he asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Norma giggled at his already groggy voice. "We're here, honey" she smiled, leaning over to plant a kiss on his lips. He grinned when she pulled away and unbuckled his seat belt, opening his door and getting out to stretch his tired limbs. She left the vehicle as well, locking her car in the process. She made her way to the bar entrance and held the door open for Alex, he entered and smiled at her. "Thanks, gorgeous" he winked playfully. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she followed behind him, linking arms.

Once they entered the bar, Norma scanned for an empty table. Her eyes widened a bit when they set upon Dylan, sitting at the far side of the bar with an attractive redhead, they were holding hands across the table. She tugged at Alex's arm a bit, getting his attention. "Look" she said, her eyes glued to her son.

"Do you want to go over and say hello?" he asked, moving his arm around her waist. She nodded as she began walking towards his table with Alex latched attentively at her side. She cleared her throat when the pair approached his table. Dylan's eyes shot to his mother in both surprise and shock. "Oh, hey Norma. Sheriff Romero" he smiled, nodding towards them.

Alex just smiled at the young couple awkwardly. Norma piped up, looking at her son, "Hi" she smiled. "Who's this?" she asked, motioning to the girl he was across from, shooting her a polite and inviting smile.

"I'm sorry" Dylan said, he looked at his date. "Julie, this is my mother, Norma. Mom, this is Julie...my girlfriend" he announced, mumbling the last part. He had been seeing Julie for a few months, but was extremely hesitant to bring her around his dysfunctional family.

Julie grinned at Norma, taking her in. She outstretched her hand and shook kindly. "I've heard great things about you, Mrs. Bates" she smiled, eyeing her. Norma returned her grin, she flashed her gaze at Alex. "This is my boyfriend, Alex" she said, introducing him to relive the awkward tension.

"Hello" she smiled, shaking his hand as well. "Would you two like to join us?" she offered kindly, motioning to the empty space in front of their table.

Norma looked at Alex for clarification, she was all for getting to know Dylan's date. Alex glanced back at her with a small smile. "We'd love to" Norma answered, reaching back to pull two chairs away from a vacant table. Dylan took a deep, internal breath. This was bound to be a long night.

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Dancing in the Moonlight**

 

Norma cleared her throat and scanned Julie over for the third time. She was a beautiful girl, her red hair was vibrant and curly, she had green emerald eyes that anyone would kill for. Norma smiled sweetly at the girl, ready to ask a boatload of questions. She never really paid attention to the girls Dylan would date, but she was ready to change that. As Alex grasped her hand under the table, she knew she was ready to start talking.

"So, how did you two meet?" she asked, feeling her maternal instincts come through towards Dylan more than ever before. Internally, Norma was happy for her son, he was at the age where he should find someone to start a future with.

Dylan smiled at Julie and reached for her hand. "Actually, Remo introduced us. Julie is his sisters daughter" he explained, looking at her from across the table, signalling that she should tell the rest.

Julie gave him a slight nod, propping her elbow up on the table, and adverting her gaze on Norma and Alex. "I was in town with my mom and Dylan happened to be at my uncle's house the night we arrived. We just started making small talk and he offered to show me around town. He's just such a gentlemen, he really cares about people, you have raised quite a son" she chuckled, gripping his hand.

Norma smiled and cocked her head to the side. "I try my best" she chuckled. "How long have you two been seeing one another?" she asked, directing the question towards Dylan. He grinned at her, then flicked his eyes on Norma. He cleared his throat and sat up straight.

"Um...we've been together about four months now" he smiled, rubbing her hand with his thumb.

Julie looked back at him, her eyes lit up in delight. "The greatest four months of my life" she giggled quietly.

"You two are a cute couple" Norma commented, exchanging glances between her son and his girlfriend.

Julie smiled at her and nudged her head towards she and Alex, who was currently gripping her hand under the table. "You guys are too" she giggled, and rested her head in her hand. "So, how did you two meet?" she asked.

Dylan automatically exchanged a nervous glance towards Alex and Norma. She met his eyes anxiously and took a deep breath to redeem herself. She tried to stay calm, but feeling Alex squeeze her hand so tightly and knowing her son's eyes were watching her, waiting for her next story. Norma didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to tell the truth, she was caught in between her morals and reality.

"Um...actually, Alex and I met when I first moved here. I was moving some stuff into the house and it was pretty late, he and another deputy were driving by and they decided to check up on me" she smiled, flicking her eyes on Alex.

Alex knew it was his turn to continue their story, he couldn't promise it was going to be "meet cute". He cleared his throat and propelled his body forward. "So, I walked up to her, introduced myself, and made sure everything was okay. Then we got to talking...and that was pretty much it. She has this wonderful sense of humor and the prettiest pair of eyes I'd ever seen in all of White Pine Bay" he exclaimed, being cheesy in the best kind of way. Norma's heart softened at his words of praise, she leaned over and kissed his cheek, under the table she rubbed the top of his hand affectionately.

"Aw, that's so cute!" she squealed, her young heart soaring at the sweet story he told. Even Dylan was taken aback by the way Alex spoke of his mother...it was certainly a difference from Sam or George

Dylan gave a slight nod and rose from the table, feeling a little tense. "Well, it's getting late, and we've been here a while. Are you ready to go, sweetie?" he asked, looking at Julie. She rose with him and shrugged. Norma scanned them both up and down. "Well, it was nice meeting you" she smiled, waving to the young girl.

"You as well" she replied as her and Dylan departed from the table. Norma watched them go and proceeded to snuggle herself into Alex's shoulder. "She seemed nice" he said, rubbing his hand along her arm. Norma nodded and glanced up at him.

"I'm just a little miffed Dylan didn't tell me he was seeing someone. You would think if they've been together for a whole four months he would have said _something._..or at least hinted at it" she scoffed, picking up the menu that sat at the corner of the table.

"Eh...when I was his age, I was really quiet about my girlfriends too. I wouldn't worry about it too much" he reassured her, kissing the top of her head.

Norma shrugged and flipped through the plastic pages of her menu. "Your probably right. I mean...we were always pretty distant. We only started re-connecting a few months ago" she explained.

"Yeah, it's totally normal for him to store that information from you. Sometimes it's really hard for a guy to open up and admit he is seeing somebody...especially to his mother" he admitted, gently rubbing his fingertips along her hip.

She stayed silent, eyeing the Long Island Ice Tea on the menu.

"Now, what do you want to drink?"

* * *

Alex and Norma left the bar a few hours later, both a bit tipsy. They made their way to the car and headed back to the motel, Alex being extremely cautious as he drove through the winding roads of White Pine Bay. Norma leaned on his shoulder as he drove. Alex peared at her, the moonlight accenting her face perfectly, not missing one bit of her.

The stayed silent, pulling into the closest lot towards Norma's house. She twisted her body so she faced him, "Wanna sleepover?" she asked, grinning at him.

"What kind of question is that?" he joked, getting out of the car, and making his way over to her side, opening the door for her. She got out and smiled at him, loving what a gentleman he was to her. Norma clutched his hand and started walking towards her house.

Alex pulled back, letting their hands break apart for a moment. "Wait, I need a pair of pajamas from my room if I'm going to spend the night" he claimed, his eyes darting towards room 11. Norma let a sultry smile fall over her lips, "In what instance would you need clothing if you're staying over?". He chuckled and nodded in agreement.

They re-locked hands, making their way up her stairs. Norma reached down to retrieve the key under the welcome mat. She opened the front door, motioning for him to move inside. Once they were both in the house, Norma moved into the living room and sat on the couch. Alex entered the room and looked around, his eyes automatically hitting the record player perched in the corner. He paced over to it, seeing the stack of old 45's next to the player, he skimmed through them.

"Are all of these yours?" he asked her, holding a dusty 45 up with a curious look on his face.

She shook her head in silence. "No, actually. When Norman and I moved in, we found a bundle of ancient records. We just decided to keep them here as oppose to throwing them away" she explained, looking relaxed. Alex put one of the records on, watching it spin, and soon the soft crooning of The Everly Brothers started to fill the room.

He extended a hand out to Norma, she met his gaze and gave him a grin, accepting his hand. She hummed softly to the music as they danced around the room slowly. She tucked her head into his chest and he let his hands hold onto her waist tightly as they moved in time with one another. He lowered his mouth down to her ear, "You know how much I love you, right?".

This made Norma's heart swell with affection and adoration. She loved it when Alex said these kinds of things to her, it made her feel good about herself and their relationship. "Of course, but I never tire of hearing it" she smiled, kissing the side of his ear. "And you know I love you, don't you?" she cooed.

Alex nodded, kissing the side of her temple, and rubbing his thumbs over her waist. She pulled away with a mix of desire and passion in her dazzling orbs. "Why don't we finish this upstairs?" she asked seductively. Alex nodded, taking her hand as she led them both up the stairs. They both knew the magic of the night was far from over.

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Fast Paced Grief**

 

Norma woke up the next morning peacefully. Her and Alex's previous encounter had been wonderful. The sex between the two had became so much more amorous and passionate, it wasn't all about the climax anymore but the intimacy in between. Once Norma started to stir, she realized something was missing...Alex's arm wasn't wrapped around her waist in it's usual spot. She shot up in bed immediately, looking to her opposite side to see empty sheets.

Norma rose and reached for her robe at the edge of the bed. It wasn't like Alex to just disappear, but she knew he hadn't left her home because his coat and shoes were still in the room. She shook her hair out of the messy state it was left in and eased her steps into the hallway, in search of him. Once she made her way to Dylan's old room, now transformed into a guest area, the sound of his voice became evident to her.

Pressing her ear against the wooden door softly, Norma tried to decode his conversation.

"Okay...I don't know how soon I can make it out. Yeah, let them know that I'll make it. I just...I can't believe it".

She couldn't began to believe her ears, Alex sounded like he'd been crying. Never in a million year had Norma ever thought that he would be the kind of man to shed tears. Alex was a fighter, it took two years for her to really see the true him. His voice was now weak and broken...and she was ready to help automatically.

Norma slowly opened the door to the guest room and spotted Alex perched on the edge of the mattress, the phone in his hand. She watched as he hung up and entered the room, now making her presence known to him. "Alex, honey" she started, compassion coated in her sweet voice.

Alex's head turned to see her and he automatically felt embarrassed. He knew his face was red and his vulnerability was obvious, out in the open, something he was definitely not comfortable with. He took in a deep breath, rubbing his face with his hands, and sitting up straighter. "Good morning" he greeted, like nothing had changed.

She said nothing in reply, just made her way over to the guest bed, and planted down next to him. Norma entwined her hand in his and attempted to look into his eyes, but he wouldn't budge, so she settled her blues upon his cheek. "What's wrong?" she asked, tightening the grip on his palm.

"Nothing, nothing is wrong Norma" he lied, twisting his head away from her in shame. His feelings were never easy, especially when they were being showcased in this manner.

Norma took a deep breath and rolled her eyes softly. "Honey, please don't lie to me. I know there's something going on. I heard your voice...you sounded like you were crying" she admitted, crossing her legs, and preparing to force the truth out of his thick exterior.

Alex held himself together and sighed audibly. "My cousin passed away this morning" he admitted, feeling his heart sink. Norma gazed at him with the utmost sympathy and empathy, she reached over and entrapped him in her arms. "Oh Alex, I'm so sorry" she said, kissing his cheek, and staying latched to his waist.

"It's uh-it's fine, Norma" he sniffled quickly, standing from the bed and walking back towards his room. She rose and quickly trailed behind him, why was he acting so weird? Is this how Alex handled grief? Once she hit the bedroom, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't we talk about it?" she offered, still withholding her face painted with sorrow.

Alex held her stare. He wasn't one to talk about his feelings. Hell, he wasn't one to deal with things like greif. But he loved her, truly loved her, and that meant he had no other choice but to open up. He let out a sigh and plopped down on her mattress, his head against the pillow. "Come over here, first".

Norma complied, pattering over to the opposite side of the bed, and snuggling herself beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder and draped her arm across his hard chest. "Now tell me what's going on" she pushed lovingly, turning to face him.

"Well...I was really close to my cousin and he passed away today. That's about it" he explained, obviously distancing himself from her compassion. Norma shook her head with a pair of plaintive eyes. "Honey, I know there's more to the story. How were you two close?" she questioned, dropping a kiss on his chest.

He huffed and locked eyes with her, feeling his heart soften by looking into her orbs. "His name was Chris. We were only two years apart in age and once my grandparents adopted me, I saw him a lot more. He was...uh...Chris was like my best friend growing up. We were close up until I came to White Pine Bay, then we only started seeing each other on assorted holidays and awkward family occasions. I just feel like a pile of shit because we were in a fight last time I saw him" he paused, taking another deep breath. "You see, I owed him a large sum of money because he lended me around $6,000 to pay off my tuition for college".

"Oh, I'm sure he still loved and cared about you, Alex. Money doesn't alter love" she replied, attempting to soothe him. She ran her fingers around in a circle on his chest.

Alex nodded slightly. "Yeah...I guess you're right, but I can't help feeling guilty. Anyway, he died in a fatal car accident early this morning. His wife, Tula told me over the phone that the funeral is on Sunday".

"That's awful. I'm so, so sorry, Alex" she exclaimed, leaning up to kiss his lips. "Are you going to go to his service?".

He nodded, tightening his grip around her waist, and kissing her temple. "Yeah. It's actually up in Phoenix" he said, pulling her up on top of him. Norma couldn't believe it, what a small world it was.

"That's ironic. I actually lived there before I moved here" she exclaimed, latching her hands to his shoulder blades.

"Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well then, would you mind accompanying me to the funeral?".

Norma thought for a few seconds. It was really important to help Alex, plus he sounded kind of desperate in asking her to join him. He was always there for her, he came with her to therapy for God's sake. Now, she knew she needed to be there for Alex. "Of course I will come with you" she said.

"Good, because I wouldn't want to go without you by my side" he admitted, kissing her cheek and pulling back to look into her eyes. "We need to head out tomorrow night if we are going to make it in time for the funeral. It's going to take almost a day to get there" he explained.

"Alright. We'll leave tomorrow night then, I'll have Norman stay with Emma or Dylan so he isn't alone here. How long do you think we'll be in Arizona for?" she questioned.

"Would 3 days be alright? I figure it will take two days to get there and back, and of course we have to attend the funeral" he said, rubbing at her warm skin with the pads of his thumbs. Norma nodded and smiled sadly at him.

"I really appreciate you coming with me, Norma" he cooed, clearing the hair out of her face.

"I will always be here for you, Alex. No matter what, I will always be here".

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Booty Shorts and Non-Existent Eyebrows**

 

As she folded and packed her last pair of shorts, she called out for Alex. "Honey, can you come here for a second. I need your opinion on something!" she projected, waiting for him to march into her room.

Within seconds and without any hesitation, Alex was by her side, eyes flickering on her. "What do you need?" he asked tentatively.

"I don't know what to wear on Sunday, so I just pulled a couple of black dresses out of my closet" she began, picking up both of her options and placing them against her body. "Which one do you like the best, keep in mind it's going to be blistering hot up there" she exclaimed.

"Both of them would look beautiful on you. But I like this one" he answered, pulling the lacy black strapless dress from her. Norma flashed him a minimal smile, took the dress of the hanger, and placed it in the suitcase, along with a pair of black heels and a short black sweater. "Are you all packed?" she asked.

Alex nodded silently. Ever since the death, he had been quieter and certainly more reserved. He was grateful to Norma however, she had been there with him every step of the way. "Yeah, suffice to say you're going to see me in a lot of summer attire" he revealed, chuckling softly. "I'm not such a fan of shorts".

"Why? Have you not shaved your legs in a while?" she joked, smiling as she zipped up her suitcase and placed it on the ground. Alex smiled, taking her hand in his and playing with her fingers. "No, I just have a passion for long pants".

"You have very muscular legs, there's nothing to worry about" she reassured, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "I have to wear shorts too".

Slowly a grin graced Alex's lips. "Are they booty shorts?" he questioned sinfully. Norma laughed, shaking her head. "No, I can't wear those in public, not at my age. But I promise you that I will buy a pair and wear them especially for you".

"I'd love to see them on you" he professed, taking her hips in his hands. "Look...I'm uh-I'm really thankful to you for being here with me through all of this. I know I've been a little weird these past few days and I'm sorry for that" he sighed, plopping down on the edge of her bed. "I guess I just still feel that guilt about Chris".

"Alex" she began, taking a place next to him on the mattress, and re-hooking their hands. "I'm happy that you can confide in me...because I love you and that's what I'm here for. Comfort and support, if you ever need me, I'll always be there" she paused to kiss his cheek. "About your cousin, I get that you're guilty, I totally understand that. I've been in your shoes before".

He looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and confusion written on his face. "What do you mean?" he questioned, squeezing at her hand a little.

Norma sighed and looked ahead, her eyes telling the story before she could even open up her mouth. "Well...you obviously know how abusive my deceased husband was. Before he died, we got in a huge fight, and he got physically violent with me. I just wish that I could go back and change it into some kind of happy memory. When he wasn't drinking, he was an okay man, but one drop of alcohol in his system and he was a monster. Trust me, to this day I still get angry about the last time we saw one another. But, you have to accept it, and take some kind of strength away from it. Focus on happy memories, not some stupid spat. Alex, you are a wonderful man, I'm sure your cousin knew that about you, no fight would change the love he probably felt for you".

Alex said nothing at all, just looked at her. He pulled her into a tight hug, swaying her frame back and forth as they sat. "I love you" he whispered, kissing the side of her ear. Norma smiled and kissed him back. "I love you, too. This whole situation with all the guilt will subside before you know it".

He nodded, still holding her. "I hope so".

* * *

A few hours later, just before sunset, the pair had to head out on the lengthy road trip to Arizona. Before they left, Norma was practically neurotic regarding Norman, making sure he had everything he needed and that Dylan was comfortable staying with him.

The brothers sat on the couch in the living room with Alex, watching Norma move around the house quickly checking everything one last time. Dylan finally sighed and called out to her. "We'll be fine, Norma. You guys are leaving for three days, it's not like you're going on safari!".

She re-entered the living room, rolling her eyes at the comment. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I just wanna make sure you two are okay. I'm your mother, it's my job to be obsessive and overprotective. Okay, Norman I left your lunch money on an envelope in the kitchen. Dylan, there are three uncooked dinners in the fridge, I made a turkey pot pie, some pot roast, and a lasagna. Now, I left heating directions on the stove, they should be fairly easy to follow. Norman, I want you in bed by 10:30 because you have school. Do you think you two can handle yourselves?" she asked, car keys in hand.

Dylan scoffed, shaking his head with an open mouth. "Norma, what makes you think we can't handle ourselves?" he laughed sarcastically, eyeing Norman who shared his feeling.

"I don't care how old you are. There's a reason I don't leave you two alone. Does Christmas Eve 2002 ring a bell to either of you? When Sam was at work and I had last minute shopping to do?".

Dylan sat thinking and then began laughing so hard he was practically doubled over. "Oh yeah! That was the year Norman had no eyebrows! I shaved them when he was down for a nap" he exclaimed, looking over at Norman who was now joining in the banter.

Norma just shook her head with a small smile at her boys reminiscing. "I'll never forget Norman's first grade school picture...I remember having to draw on his eyebrows with my makeup pencil. He looked like a drag queen". She smiled, moving over to her sons, and dropping a kiss on each of their foreheads.

Alex held their luggage, ready to leave, he knew they were pressed for time. Norma got the signal and walked towards the front door. "I love you both. When I get home I want Norman to have eyebrows!" she exclaimed before exiting the home with Alex in toe.

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Orange Juice and Steamy Shower Sessions**

 

As Norma and Alex drove through Oregon, he looked over at her with an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry you have to drive...I just don't know how to get to Phoenix and I didn't have a GPS installed in this car".

She waved her hand at him while keeping her eyes glued to the road ahead. "No that's fine. You don't have to apologize. I can't even believe I remember how to get there" she laughed.

Alex nodded, keeping his eyes glued to the side of her face. He extended a hand and placed it on her leg. "Do you ever miss it?" he asked, wanting to know more about her life before they met.

"What...Arizona?" she asked with a small scoff. "Not really. I was only 20 when I moved to Phoenix; it was just nice to be somewhere new. It was pretty there, lots of attractions to see".

"And you had Norman there, that's a plus right?" he chuckled, clutching her leg.

"Actually, I didn't give birth to Norman in Arizona. Sam and I were celebrating our first anniversary and we decided to take a vacation to Vegas because it was such a short drive. The night we got there and settled in, we went down to a casino and my water broke. We hunted around Las Vegas for a hospital while I was having these sharp, intense contractions and when we finally found one, I had him about an hour and a half later. The drive home was probably the easiest, he slept the whole way" she explained, smiling at the thought of Norman as a small newborn. Even then he was so needy towards her, it made her feel useful.

Alex chuckled a bit at her story. "So Norman was a Vegas baby? That's pretty cool" he smiled, twisting in the seat so he could fully face her.

She laughed as well. "I think so, too. His first baby blanket was actually covered in dice and had "I Heart Vegas" imprinted in the center. Sam went out to the hospital gift shop and got it the night he was born" she explained, a miniature smile of her face.

"You could call that unique" he laughed, moving his arm up to take her hand in his. "Other than Norman, was there anything else in Phoenix that you liked?".

"To be honest with you Alex, there was nothing else. Norman was the only thing that kept me going. Through all that shit with Sam, he was the only person I could count on and speak to about my issues" she admitted, biting her bottom lip.

"At least you're out of that situation. And you know you always have me to talk to right?" he asked, leaning over the armrest to get closer to her.

"I do. Of course I do...and I love having you, it's nice knowing I can finally open up to someone. Especially someone I love" she smiled, quickly leaning over to kiss him.

"I love you too" he exclaimed, keeping the grip on her hand. He looked out the window to see the darkness falling over the skyline. "It's getting pretty dark outside. Is there anywhere we could stop for the night? I really don't want you driving in the middle of the night, there are too many accidents, with reckless and drunk drivers".

Norma listened to him, silently admiring his care for her. "Ironically, there's a motel about fifteen minutes away. We could stay there and head back on the road at about 8 am. I'm trying to mentally put together some kind of schedule so we make it to Phoenix on time".

He just nodded, feeling tired from sitting in the car. "Okay. Do you want to grab some kind of dinner before we get a room?".

"Sure, I'll find a place where we can grab something quick and head to the motel" she said, turning off at the closest exit.

* * *

Once the two got to a motel room, Norma collapsed on the bed, giving out a sigh of relief once her body hit the surprisingly soft mattress. It was the most comfortable she felt all day long.

Norma turned to face him and took a deep breath. "I'm so tired, I really don't wanna get the luggage out of the car. Do you think you could grab it?" she asked with defeat in her voice.

"Sure thing" he said, moving towards the door. "I'm just gonna grab some pajamas and toothbrushes". She gave him a nod and he left. Once he opened the trunk to the car, he unzipped the suitcase and took out a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and his white shirt. He grabbed the sundries and headed back in the room.

"I noticed it was a lot warmer here so I figured you could just wear my t-shirt" he said, holding out his clothing to her. She took the shirt with a grin on her face.

"Is this really about the heat or do you just wanna see me in as little clothing as possible?" she laughed, starting to unzip her skirt.

"Well, you do have a great ass" he laughed, watching her change. "But I honestly thought it was too hot to bundle up in clothing".

She simply nodded and put his shirt on, heading into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash the makeup off of her face. She hated taking her makeup off in front of Alex, it made her feel incredibly self conscious. When she was in front of the mirror her confidence always went away. Her wrinkles became clear to see and signs of aging were increasingly evident.

Alex would always take note of the way she looked at herself. As he stood near the bed and watched her obvious disgust grow, he walked into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her waist as she wiped the makeup away.

"You're beautiful, Norma" he murmured into her ear.

He really thought so too, she didn't need all that makeup to be perfect in his eyes. She had a glowing natural beauty that always beamed to him. She shot him a tiny smirk and kissed his neck. Walking out of the bathroom, she laid her items on the table and climbed into bed.

After Alex spit out the Listerine dancing around in his mouth, he flicked the lights off in the bathroom, and moved towards the bed. He peeled the covers down and lay next to her, taking the television remote in his hand. "You wanna watch some shitty movie and then go to bed?".

She nodded and glided over to rest her head on his bare chest. He flipped on the TV and to his surprise the screen showed a woman lying down on a bed with a man in between her legs moaning at the top of her lungs.

"Looks like the last guest was feeling a little adventurous" he chuckled. Quickly he slipped the channel to some sappy romance movie.

"I don't like porn. My husband used to try getting me to watch it with him, you know to spice things up, but I always refused. It's not that I'm a prude, I just don't like such a beautiful thing to be made dirty" she explained, moving a hand onto his chest.

"I would only watch it when I was in the mood. But it never quite got me going, not like you" he said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

Norma looked up to stare into his warm pupils chuckling slightly. "I get you going, huh?".

Alex nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly. "You do," he smiled, moving into a spoon. She rested with her back against his chest and he placed his head on her shoulder kissing her pulse point gingerly.

Norma reached over to flick the alarm on, that way they could wake up earlier, and hit the rode at her ideal time. She moved back to let her head hit the pillow. "Goodnight. I love you" she smiled, closing her eyes.

"I love you, too" he cooed, kissing her cheek before drifting off into sleep.

* * *

When Alex woke up the next morning, he realized the sheets were vacant next to him. He immediately shot up with worry. Where was Norma? He threw the sheets off of him and sat at the edge of the bed, taking his cell phone off the bed stand, and calling her cell.

The second the ringing started, Norma came through the front door, with two cups and a paper bag in hand. Alex shot up, shutting off the phone, and shooting her a relieved smile. She quickly took note of his expression and set the food down. "What's wrong, honey?".

"Nothing. I just woke up and you weren't there," he laughed. "What did you get?".

"Not much. Just some orange juice and bagels. We need to eat kind of fast because we're a bit behind schedule" she smiled, reaching into the bag and handing him the breakfast food.

"Thank you," he exclaimed, placing the cup back on the table "I'm not much of an orange juice person".

Norma gave him a knowing smirk and handed him the cup back. "You should drink it because it's filled with vitamins and it'll give you some kind of energy for the rest of the day" she stated, her maternal side coming out.

"I understand that, I'm just not a fan of it" he defended, rising to rest his hands on her hips.

"I'll make you a deal. If you drink that cup, I'll let you take a shower with me" she grinned sinfully, giving him her seductive eyes.

"Oh come on, you're bribing me with a  _shower_ " he scoffed.

She rose her eyebrow and set her cup down, taking the t-shirt off to reveal her bare chest. Alex stared with an aroused expression, his mouth hanging open a bit at the sight. "Good defense. Let me see the cup" he said, taking it, and quickly tossing the drink back.

He wiped his mouth and grabbed her hand. "C'mon" he smiled, pulling her into the bathroom anxiously. Norma laughed as they entered. "Okay, okay. Just remember we can't be in here too long".

He turned with a devilish grin. "Oh don't you worry. I'll be quick".

* * *

Once they finished the steamy shower session and got dressed for the day, they packed up all of their belongings and headed back outside to the car. Norma slid inside and started the engine, pulling out of the lot and turning to Alex.

"We only have about 10 hours left to go. We'll probably make it to Phoenix by 6 pm" she explained, pulling the sun visor down, blocking the morning sun from her weary eyes.

Alex nodded and closed his eyes as she pulled out.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: The Sparkle In Their Eyes**

 

It was just before sunset when Norma drove into Phoenix. Moving through all the neighborhoods and shopping centers, a wave of horrific nostalgia washed through her. Once she passed by the R & D Market, where she would always pick up her groceries, she had small memories of the bruises and bumps covering her face after a recent encounter with Sam. Or when she zoomed past the hospital and a flashback of her busted lip came into her mind. Wanting to get out of the nightmare, she shook Alex who had been sleeping since they passed through Mesa.

"Hey honey, wake up" she whispered gently. Norma watched as he began to stir with a confused look on his face. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes, and refocusing on her. "Where are we?" he yawned, relaxing against the leather seat.

Norma looked over at him with a warm smile, rolling the window down to get some air in the car, the heat was getting to her already. "We just got into Phoenix" she answered, pulling into a familiar convenience store. "I'm stopping to grab some water and new sundries. Do you wanna call someone to tell them you're here?".

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to call my aunt. She was Chris's mother and wanted to know when I arrived. I'll just give her a ring while you grab the stuff" he said, taking out his cellphone and quickly dialing.

She nodded and headed out of the car. When she went in she was happy to not notice anybody. Norma lived in Phoenix for 17 years and totally feared seeing people she knew. They would all ask her questions about why she left and where she went. She wasn't prepared for strangers prying into her private life.

She strolled the aisles picking up a few large bottles of water, a bottle of Aleve, a box of condoms, toothpaste, and a small bag of razors. The zit faced, disinterested teen rung her up and she quickly descended the store before anyone she knew could come in. Norma had officially come to the conclusion that she would stay incognito through the whole trip.

Walking back out to the car, she reached into the passenger window and handed Alex the plastic bag. She moved back over to the drivers side and climbed in, restarting the ignition. "Did she pick up?" she asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

Alex nodded, stuffing the phone back into his pocket. "Yeah. She uh- actually said that she wanted us to stay with her for the next couple of days. She's offering us the guest room" he sighed, focusing on the road.

Norma thought for a moment. Meeting Alex's family members? Part of her was almost excited but the majority was nervous and jittery, not sure of how they would perceive her. What if they didn't like her and thought she wasn't good enough? She took a deep breath and glanced at Alex with a small grin. "Okay. That sound nice, I'd love to meet some of your family" she encouraged keeping a tight grip on the wheel.

He stayed quiet and watched her. "Okay. I'm sure my aunt and uncle will love you, they're pretty friendly people, acceptant".

She sat in anticipation. "Well, why don't you tell me a little about them before I actually meet them...you know just so I can pull the old line "I've heard so much about you" she mocked with a laugh.

"Alright. Fair warning, I haven't seen them in a few years so some of the information may have changed by now. My aunt and uncle actually met in preschool and always hated one another growing up, and then once they hit high school they fell in love and married after they graduated. They had Chris and settled down in an ideal neighborhood nearby. My aunt got a job as a kindergarten teacher and my uncle was a firefighter but he retired about five years ago. That's about it" he chuckled, watching her expressions.

"They sound like good people. I'm a little excited" she laughed, taking his hand and resting it on the armrest. "So, where do they live? Did she give you directions over the phone?".

Alex took out a piece of paper from his pocket. "When I was on the phone with my aunt she gave me the name of the street she lives on," he began, unfolding it "They live on 13 Wilsure Ave".

Norma nodded, thinking as she drove. "I think I know where that is…" she said, trying to remember where everything was. In that moment she really wished she had a map or a proper GPS system. She drove around aimlessly for a good half an hour before finally finding the street and the house. It was relatively nice, well furnished. She pulled into the parking lot and turned to Alex with a half smile. "Ready to go in?".

He nodded, getting out of the car, and stretching his legs. Alex paced over to the trunk and took out their luggage, thankful that they only brought one bag for the trip. Norma walked over to with a smile. "Are you nervous?" she laughed.

He set the luggage back on the concrete and wrapped her into his arms, pressing her softly against the car. He ran a hand through her blond hair and brought it around her neck for support. He leaned in to drop a huge kiss on her lips. "Not at all. Not with you. Just be yourself and charm them with that beautiful smile" he chuckled, kissing her cheek once more before letting her feet touch the ground again.

She placed a hurried kiss on his lips before grabbing her purse from the car. As they walked up the steps to the home, Norma could feel her heart rate going up, she was incredibly nervous even though Alex was calm. He knocked hesitantly, keeping a tight grip on the luggage. The door opened suddenly, a petite woman with brown wavy hair answering.

"Alex!," she cheered, leaning out to grasp him into a tight hug. "How have you been?" she asked with a giant smile and a pair of kind eyes.

He slipped his hand in Norma's and gripped, "I've actually been great. And I uh- wanted to introduce you to someone very special to me. This is Norma Bates, my girlfriend" he smiled, kissing her cheek, not caring that she saw their affection. Norma extended a hand and shook with the warmest grin she could give. "It's so nice to meet you. Alex has told me so many nice things" she complimented. She felt happy at that moment, it was different than the time she met George's parents, there was no more of that fake and phoney feeling.

"Well, I'm Laura. It's very good to meet you too" she smiled. "Why don't you both come inside. Norma, I'll introduce you to my husband Patrick".

Alex walked through, leaving the luggage by the front door and tightening his arm around her waist. Soon enough, a taller man with greying hair came out of what seemed to be an office nestled near the stairs and the living room. He immediately paced over to the couple and gave them a kind smile. "Alex, it's wonderful to finally see you" he exclaimed, giving him a small hug. He pulled back and looked to Norma. "And who, may I ask, is this lovely woman?".

Norma felt her cheeks getting redder. Laura piped up, patting her husband on the shoulder, and moving next to him. "Patrick, this is Norma Bates, Alex's girlfriend" she smiled, shooting a cheerful glance Alex's way. Patrick politely shook her hand and grinned. "So nice to meet you, Norma".

"It's good to meet you as well. You have a beautiful home" she complimented, still holding onto Alex's hand. Laura and Patrick both looked at each other with a smile and walked the pair to the vacant guest room.

"I set it up for you two. There are fresh linens and towels in the bathroom closet. We'll let you both get settled in and put your stuff away. I put some hangers in the closet in case you had anything that needed to be hung and there is some available drawer space" she smiled, looking at the both of them.

"Thank you so much for letting us stay" Norma said with a shiney smirk, taking another look around the room. It was clean and quaint, just the way she preferred. For once in her life, she felt like she was apart of a normal family dynamic, with two happy caretakers and someone to love her unconditionally.

Once Laura left the room and shut the door, Alex put the suitcase on the mattress and opened it up, taking out their clothing. Norma took the articles from his hands and placed them in the open drawers. She put both of their funeral outfits in the closet, so they would stay neat for the upcoming day. Alex snaked a hand around her waist as she closed the closet. "I think they really like you" he murmured in her ear, kissing the side of her cheek.

She took a breath of relief and turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "That's good to know...I was so nervous about meeting them. They are just so kind" Norma smiled, rubbing his cheeks with her fingertips.

"Yeah, they are. I told you they were good people, hard working and caring" he laughed, picking her up and walking her to the bed, placing her down. Alex lay on top of her and kiss her face. He was so happy that his Aunt and Uncle were acceptant of her because she really was everything to him...Norma was his whole world and he longed to share that with people.

They paused when they heard a knock at the door, "Dinners ready" Laura said through the wood, wanting to give them privacy and space. Norma and Alex got up, straightening their clothing and heading out to the kitchen.

Norma took note of how nicely the table was set up, everything looking nice and polished. Alex pulled a chair out for her and let her sit. He took the seat next to her and took her hand under the table. "This looks delicious" Norma said to Laura with a small grin.

"Thank you, dear. It's my specialty" she answered, filling everyone's plates high with rice, salad, and steak. "I hope you all like it".

They all dug in with wide smiled of enjoyment. Laura was a fantastic cook. Both she and Patrick asked Norma a variety of questions, none of them made her feel uncomfortable or out of place, she knew they just wanted to get to know her better. They were simple questions like what she did for a living, if she had any kids, and how she met Alex. She was abundantly happy that they didn't ask about her early life or anything before meeting Alex.

* * *

After the group finished their meals, Norma rose to help Laura with the dishes, she was grateful for the assistance. As they stood at the sink washing and drying, Laura kept with the easy questions. "So, how do you feel about Alex?".

"Alex is amazing, he is the greatest guy I've ever met. I just...I love him so much" she laughed, drying a glass with the wash rag and staring ahead with a pair of glittering eyes. She was pleased that she could finally open up about the relationship.

"That's wonderful. I see they way you two look at one another, you both have sparkles in your eyes" she claimed, with a smile.

"I can't help it" she laughed, placing the final dish down on the drying rack. "Whenever I look at him it's like I turn into a schoolgirl or something. I mean, you probably feel that way when you look at Patrick right?" she asked, turning towards her.

Laura shut the sink off with a smile. "Of course. Let me tell you that in 25 years of marriage, I have never lost that sparkle for him. He's not perfect but he's mine and I love him deeply. I've know it from the moment we moved into this house that we were going to be together for a long time. And I can't say that it's always perfect, because it's not. Love is pain...it takes a lot of hard work to make a relationship successful".

"Boy do I know it" she sighed, her thoughts trying to stay away from bad memories and stay focused on Alex. "I just want to let you know that I will never hurt your nephew, I'm going to try and make him as happy as I can".

Laura just smiled, patting her shoulder and walking out of the kitchen. Norma stood with happy thoughts of her and Alex being together for a long time. With that, she walked into the guest room to find him sleeping on the bed. Norma quickly changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, trying her damndest not to wake him. As she watched the peace flood his handsome face, she felt good. She loved seeing him so at rest.

Norma knew she'd strive her best to make him happy.

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: The Funeral**

 

As the morning sun crept through the curtains in the guest room, Alex's eyes flickered open. He gently rolled on his side, watching Norma sleep. She was incredibly beautiful at rest. There were no signs of anger or anxiety on her face, she was completely tranquil. He reached out and ran his fingers along her arm. He observed as her blues crept open, immediately setting upon him. She smiled and scooted towards him, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck.

"How did you sleep last night?" she asked, her voice thick and groggy from just waking up.

Alex grinned, clearing a few strands of hair away from her face. "I slept pretty great. What about you? Did you get enough rest?" he questioned.

She nodded, sitting up, and slipping into her robe. Norma looked to the alarm clock near the bed and then back at Alex. "It's 10:30. Do you think we should go downstairs and see if they are up yet?".

He rubbed his eyes and groaned as he rose off the mattress. He walked to her, taking her face in his hands, and kissing her lips. Reaching for her hand, he piped up, "Let's go".

* * *

Laura was just cracking the last egg in the frying pan when Alex and Norma walked down the stairs. "Good morning. How did you both sleep?" she asked, mixing the egg batter around on high heat.

They both looked at each other and answered simultaneously. "Good".

"Happy to hear. There's fresh fruit on the table along with some toast, and if you give me two seconds I'll be finished with the eggs" she exclaimed, taking the food of the stove and scraping it into a glass bowl. "I'm sorry Patrick couldn't join us this morning. He's uh...he's at the funeral home, preparing for later".

The couple waved her off and said it was fine, they understood. Norma watched Laura move around the kitchen with the utmost sympathy in her heart. She could never be able to imagine what it would be like if she lost Norman or Dylan. They were the only family she could count on after all. She opened her mouth and caught Laura's attention. "I'm so, so sorry for your loss" she said, her voice gentle and empathetic.

Laura sniffled and put the breakfast dishes in the counter. "Thank you, dear".

Alex loved seeing Norma so caring towards his family. His hand fell to her lower back and pulled her closer to him as she sat. "What time is the service today?" he questioned popping a piece of cantaloupe into his mouth.

She cleared her throat, pouring a quick cup of coffee, and joining them at the kitchen table. "It's at 3 pm. It's only about an hour long". Alex nodded and picked at the eggs in front of him, glancing up briefly. "Will Judith be at the ceremony?".

Norma gave a confused look when he asked, wondering who Judith was. Laura rolled her watery eyes at the name, giving an obvious look of distaste. "No, thankfully. You want to know the reason she claimed she couldn't be there? She said her and Chris were about to file for divorce and she wouldn't feel right about attending. She felt like it would be awkward," she scoffed, sipping her coffee "Can you believe her?".

"Well, I mean it's not like any of us liked her anyway. She was always very cold and distant" he agreed. Norma looked at both of them while chewing. "Who's Judith?" she asked, with an eyebrow raised.

Alex turned her way and took a deep breath. "She was married to Chris. None of us really liked her, she was a pretty big complainer and she always had something rude to say about someone. I can remember Chris's bachelor party...I asked him if he was positive that she was the right one for him and he just shrugged me off, telling me that no one really understood her like he did, and that we all had the wrong interpretation of her".

Laura nodded from across the way. "I felt the same way. I would always tell Chris that she wasn't the right person for him. I knew from the minute he brought her home for Patrick and I to meet. She was just very stiff and hard to get along with. She could also be very materialistic. I remember when he proposed to her and she said that if he got her a bigger engagement ring, she would marry him. To be completely honest...I wish Chris never met her" she sighed, getting up to put dirty dishes in the sink, rinsing them.

Norma shot a weird look Alex's way. "She sounds like quite a piece of work". He looked at her with a nod, standing up from the breakfast table. "Well, I'm gonna go get ready for the day. Norma will you help me get my clothes ready?" he asked, desperately. She stood up with a tiny smile, adoring that even at his age he still needed help picking out his outfits.

Alex started walking back up the stairs to their room, before Norma followed she turned back to Laura. "Thank you so much for making breakfast, I really appreciate you letting up stay here. If you need help with anything at all, let me know" she said sweetly, watching her elbows move as she scrubbed the dishes.

She shut the running water off and turned to her with a minimum but grateful smile. "It's not a problem, my dear. To be completely honest Patrick and I are incredibly happy to have both of you here," she paused to sniffle, wanting to hold it together and seem strong for the rest of the day "You're both welcome here for however long you need".

"Thank you" Norma cooed, walking out of the kitchen quietly. She trotted up the stairs, slipping into the guest room to find Alex on the bed, holding two different suit ties on his laps. "Honey...which one do you like better?" he questioned.

Norma took both ties from him and held them up to his shoulders. "You should wear this one" she said, choosing the small one with light brown pinstripes. "I feel like it brings out your eyes more". He took it from her and placed the article on his suit. He took it from her and placed the article on his suit.

"Okay" he said, rising from the bed, and taking her hips in his hands. "I'm going to take a shower while you put your ensemble together" he began, swaying her to each side "Just make sure you don't look too good, I wouldn't want people looking at you like your single" he smiled.

She gave a small laugh and grasped his hand, pulling him closer to her. "You don't have to worry about anything...I'm all yours" Norma cooed, kissing his cheek.

Alex rose an eyebrow, lifting her up off the ground, and wrapping her legs around his waist. "You're all mine, huh?" he asked seductively.

He pushed her against the wall behind them softly for support. Alex leaned forward to kiss her lips softly, stroking her bare thigh with his fingertips. The smell of his aftershave filled her nostrils and she felt herself grow more and more aroused. He ran his lips along her neck, whispering sweet words of praise into her skin.

Norma let her fingers scratch around his upper back. "All yours" she murmured, allowing her head to hit the back of the wall. Alex pulled back to observe her angelic features.

"I'm so damn lucky to have you, Norma" he exclaimed, letting her feet drop back down to the floor as he enveloped her in a tight hug, never wanting to let her go. He smelt the warm vanilla scent that clung to her skin and felt the comforting heat of her body. "I just...I hope you understand how much I love you".

She latched to him harder, loving the feel of his body pressing against her own. "Of course I do, Alex. And you know I love you as well" she cooed, holding his face in her hands. "Now, you have to go get ready".

He wordlessly gave her a short and sweet peck on the lips and moved into the bathroom.

* * *

Soon after, Alex and Norma were both dressed, ready to head to the funeral service. Laura had left a little after breakfast, wanting to help prepare for her deceased son's memorial. They were standing at the front door, when Norma looked down at her outfit. "Do I look okay? Not too...slutty is it?" she asked, her dress was a tad shorter than that of what she typically preferred but Arizona was steaming hot on that particular day.

"You look gorgeous. Don't worry about looking slutty," he laughed, dropping his hands to her sides, "It's about 90 degrees outside, so I think everyone in attendance will have shorter clothing one...at least the women".

She placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "Are you ready to go?" she asked with empathy coating her delicate voice.

Alex simply nodded, taking her hand and heading to the car.

* * *

When they arrived at the church, Norma could barely find a parking spot, as the event was flooded with people. She silently took note that it was the same church Sam's funeral was held at, the last time she had been there, everyone was looking at her, silently mourning for the "poor widow" who lost her "wonderful" husband. She shook her mind of the reverie as she found an empty spot right in front of the church.

Alex stepped out of the car, observing the large crowd of people. Some he actually recognized and others seemed to be casual friends of Chris who he'd never met in his life. He was almost intimidated by the crowd of people, so he clutched Norma's hand in his own and walked into the church.

They took a spot in the back. The rest of the pew was empty except for them, they preferred it that way. Neither of them wanted to sit next to blubbering participants who couldn't keep their emotions in check.

Norma moved closer to Alex and re-hooked hands. "This was a really great turn out" she whispered, re scanning the crowd with curious eyes.

He nodded and placed a mouth near her ear. "Yeah...to be honest, I never knew this many people were close to Chris. I mean he was a great guy but when it came down to it, he could be pretty shy, I never would've imagined he could connect with so many".

They both stopped talking once the pastor came out, giving the cliche introduction about Chris, his early life, and his untimely death. The next few minutes after that were spent singing "Amazing Grace" and a few eulogies were given by people who weren't too torn up to go and say things about Chris.

Once the service was over with, Alex and Norma opted not to stay for the reception. There were just too many people and crowds that were too large to dodge, so they headed back to her car. Norma got in and started the engine, but Alex stayed put on the gravel. She rolled her window down with a confused look. "Are you not going back to the house?".

"No, my uncle wants me to say hello to a few distant relatives who wanted to see me...but you head back. I'll be there soon enough" he said, giving her a brief smile.

She returned the smile, with nothing but sweetness on her face. "Okay".

 


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Pulled Out Of Darkness**

 

It was a bit darker outside once Norma finally pulled into Laura and Patrick's parking lot. She got out and walked up the stairs to their home, dying to get out of her pumps. When she made her way inside, she automatically kicked off the shoes and slid into the kitchen.

"Hello, dear. Can I get you anything?" Laura asked, she was sitting at the counter with a mug of tea in front of her. Her face was still a bit red from the tears that were shed at her son's funeral.

Norma gave her a look of confusion. "No...no I'm okay," she exclaimed, taking the seat across from her, "Why aren't you still at the service?".

Laura sipped her tea and glanced up, making eye contact with her. "It was just too sad for me. I couldn't be there, I love my son more than anything else on this earth, and to see people mourning him was too hard" she sniffled, not wanting to reignite the stream of tears that fell earlier.

She held up her hand and shot an understanding expression Laura's way. "I understand completely, believe me. I have two boys of my own" she admitted.

Laura was happy that she could bring up something that moved the topic away from the funeral and her son's death. "They must be younger, huh?" she smiled.

Norma laughed at that, shaking her head. "Actually no, Dylan is 24 and Norman is 18".

"Hold on a minute...Norma and Norman. What struck that?" she laughed.

Norma smiled sweetly. "You know that's one of the first question your nephew asked me when we met for the very first time," she laughed a little more now, the thought of nostalgia hitting her, "Normally, the boy takes his father's name but my ex-husband and I figured we'd change it up a little bit. I wanted him to have something related to my name. Norma actually came from my grandmother, she was a lovely woman, very tough".

"That's kind of cute actually" she smiled. The conversation went silent for a few moments, when Laura took Norma's hand across the table. "I...Patrick and I are thrilled that Alex brought home someone like you. We were about to give up hope on him finding a woman" she said with a serious look on her face.

"Why? Because his schedule is always busy? I mean he's the sheriff of the whole town. It takes a lot of time, effort, and work to get to where he is. I can't tell you how much he's done for my family and I" she admitted, enjoying the feel of care she received from Laura.

"No...nothing to do with his profession" she said with a confused face. "He um...he told you about what happened a few years back, didn't he?".

Norma sat puzzled for a few seconds, thinking about everything Alex told her. "Well, when we met he was incredibly stoic and just hard to get along with but after about two years I think I broke through his shell. Since then...he told me about his family. That his father was an abusive, alcoholic and his mother was a runaway drug addict".

"Well, yes that's all true. But…," she stopped for a pause, taking a deep breath, "Didn't he tell you about Callie?".

Norma's heart was beating in her chest, her constitution grew weaker by the moment. She had so many questions rattling around in her head. Who was Callie? Was she some girl Alex was hiding in White Pine Bay? She didn't want to jump to conclusions. Finally, she just decided to break, not wanting any secrets with Alex. "Who's Callie?".

Laura took another deep breath and reconnected eyes with her. "When Alex was training in Portland for the police force, there was a coffee shop across the street that he would always go to afterwards. Doing that, he met Callie, she worked at a small art museum next to the force station. She was lovely...incredibly beautiful and a total free spirit. She was a struggling artist when Alex met her. Their attraction to one another was almost instant. Anyway, they bought and moved into a house after around three years together. Soon after that, Callie became pregnant. God...Alex was...Alex was overjoyed. He was always telling us about the baby, looking forward to being a father. We'd never seen him that happy in his life...he was almost giddy" she explained, taking a harsh deep breathe, getting ready to delve deeper into the story.

"One night when Alex was on duty and Callie was at home, I guess she needed something at the drugstore a few minutes from their home, she didn't want to bother Alex because she knew he was working. It was around 12 am when she got on the road...it was pouring down rain on that night. She just started driving and uh... it was really dark, she could barely see anything...there was a drunk driver on the road that night. I guess he drifted into the wrong lane and hit her car head on. It was...it was a fatal collision" she revealed, her eyes about to water over. "Alex was the one who had to find her like that...and he just couldn't handle it".

Norma couldn't say anything, she was in plain shock. The story certainly explained why Alex was so inward when they met, she always knew there was something big that he was hiding. She felt bad that he wasn't comfortable telling her about it. At that moment, all she wanted to do was see Alex and wrap her arms around him. A guy like him didn't deserve to go through such a horrible loss. She rose her head, looking at Laura. "What happened to him after that?" she asked with concern.

"He slipped into this deep depression. I mean it was awful...Alex wouldn't get out of bed, he wouldn't eat anything, he took a four month leave from work. He wouldn't even speak to anyone. That's when he turned stoic and stone faced...when you met him, that wasn't the real Alex. That was the depressed version of him. But I have to tell you something, Norma...that man loves you so much. You can tell, he hasn't had this kind of energy or happiness since...well...Callie" she smiled, tightening the grip on her hand.

Norma was overjoyed to know Alex loved her to such a multitude, she would have never guessed. "That really means the world to me. I love him too...he's done so much for me. I've needed stability for a long time now and Alex is perfect. Sometimes I wonder if he's too good for me and other times I worry that he will leave me because he'll end up finding someone better".

Laura shook her head abruptly. "No, no, no honey. Believe me when I say you two are perfect for one another, you're so good together. Patrick was just saying so last night, you guys have great chemistry. You never have to worry about Alex leaving you...he's such an amazing man and he's impeccably loyal. You pulled him out of depression, Norma. If he lost you he'd be heartbroken".

She gave her an almost astounded look. "I pulled him out of his depression? Me?," she paused, scoffing lightly at the thought, "Are you 100% sure about that? I mean...I know he loves me, I get that. It's just I can't believe it. To be honest with you, Alex hated me when we first met. Then again, I'll admit I can be a bit...abrasive sometimes" she explained, crossing her legs and looking her straight in the eye, anxious for an answer.

She laughed slightly, shaking her head. "I'm sure you weren't that bad".

Norma stifled a sarcastic chuckle. "Oh if you only knew...I mean I was always stopping by the police station asking for his help with the endless shit that never quit storming into my family's life. I was just such a pain in his ass...I'm shocked he could put up with me. And I'll tell you something, it certainly wasn't love at first sight, Alex had to grow on me. It wasn't until a year later, I finally realized how protective he was, what a good man he could be...I'm a sucker for strong, reliable men" she blushed, biting her lip.

"Well then, you found your perfect match with him. I know for sure that Alex always takes care of the women he dates, he puts them first, and treats them with the utmost respect" she promised with a kind smile.

At that same moment, Alex walked into the kitchen, moving behind Norma, and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Hi" he greeted, pressing his lips into her warm skin. She rested her arms on his and looked at Laura who got the signal.

"I'm going to lie down for a little while...it's been a long day" Laura sighed, walking into the master bedroom.

Alex twisted Norma around in his arms and kissed her lips quickly. "That was a beautiful service" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him.

"Yeah it was. Chris would've loved it. A lot of people came up to me after and told me stories about him, what a great guy he was, and of course how they were all happy Judith didn't show up" he laughed softly.

Norma stayed silent and stared into his eyes, reaching up to run her fingers across his cheek. She had no intention of bringing up Callie, she didn't want him to be sad or angry with her. She just wanted to appreciate him. She was practically gazing at him, her eyes shiny.

"What?" he scoffed with a wide smile across his face.

"Nothing. I just...I love you" she cooed, giving him the warmest smile she could. Her eyes stayed sunny and bright, her grip around him strengthened. He returned the grin, "I love you too, Norma".

He leaned in then, planting his lips firmly to hers for the thousandth time. He pulled back to push her hair behind her ear. "Now, what do you say I take you out for lunch?"

"I'd like that very much".

"Let's go".

 


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Hitting The Bullseye**

 

Soon after leaving the house, the couple found themselves in the parking lot of a little diner amongst the numerous beautifully furnished homes and wide shopping centers. The second they pulled in, Norma turned to Alex with a smile. "You know...this is the first place John and I went when we first came to Phoenix" she said, stepping out of the SUV.

Alex shut the engine off and joined her outside. "It's quaint...reminds me of one of those fake 50s diners. Y'know the ones where the servers dress up as Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio" he exclaimed with a laugh, moving towards the entrance to hold the door open.

She walked in with a smile, grateful for his chivalry. "I like those diners. It must be like Halloween everyday for those people". Norma snagged them the first booth she could find, he soon joined, hooking eyes with her from across the seats.

"That wouldn't be such a bad thing. Halloween everyday, I mean. It's nice...pretending to be someone else for a little while. It's like a vacation from reality" he commented, taking a menu, and looking at the various options.

She nodded, observing the specials on the board above the tabletop area. "I always liked Halloween myself. Mostly because I can eat a bunch of chocolate without any shame".

He chuckled, looking up from his menu. "What are you gonna get?".

She thought of the specially recommended dishes. "Um...I'm not sure. The Greek club sandwich looks really good but I'm also eyeing Ranch BLT salad".

"I'm thinking about the fried chicken. I'm a huge fan of comfort food".

"Isn't everyone? That's my favorite thing to cook for the boys. They're all time favorite is my homemade macaroni and cheese. I'll have to make that for you when we get back to Oregon. I think you'll love it" she smiled, putting her menu down.

"I probably would. I'm a big fan of your cooking" he agreed, signaling the waitress. The woman came flying in on a pair of skates which she had no business wearing, she was twisting around uncomfortably to the left and right. "My name is Peggy, I'll be your waitress. What can I get for you both?" she asked with a kind smile, whipping out her notepad.

Alex gave Norma a hand gesture, signaling her to go first. "Can I please get the Greek club sandwich, a side salad with extra cucumbers and Russian dressing, and an iced tea?".

"Sure thing, sweetheart" she answered with a wide grin, then turning her attention to Alex. "And what can I bring you?".

"I'll just have the fried chicken with a side of coleslaw and mashed potatoes. Can I also get a Coke?" he asked, watching her etch the order down.

"Sure thing. I'll be right out with your food" she descended, struggling to move away from the booth.

Norma grinned as she rolled away, her eyes darting towards the booth on the other side of the room. "Fuck…" she muttered, her eyes closing tightly in dismay, automatically she rested her head on the tabletop.

Alex gave her a confused look. "What's wrong, Norma?" he asked, keeping his eyes trained on her. He extended a hand out and dropped it to her arm, rubbing gently as a sign of comfort.

She let out a small sigh, wanting to shrivel up or disappear into mid-air. "That woman over there with the brown hair and glasses. That is Sam's mother...why the fuck does she have to be here?" she said, her skin growing warmer in anger.

"I take it you two didn't get along so good when you were married to her son?" he asked, keeping his hand planted. Alex let his eyes glance over to the woman a few times.

"Not at all. Let me tell you, she was the mother in law from hell. So passive aggressive and condescending, a total bitch. She was so critical of me and the way I did everything. From the way I raised Norman, to the way I acted towards my husband, even how I kept my house bothered her. She always felt the need to find a flaw" she scoffed, trying not to make eye contact.

"She doesn't sound like such a good woman…" he stated, watching Norma's expressions change rapidly as she kept glancing over at her.

"She's horrible. And the worst part was...she always glorified her son. She thought he was the greatest man to ever walk the face of the earth. Always telling me how hard working and respectful he was. If only she saw him slam me against walls, hit me, scream at our son...she was completely clueless to the monster she raised. It doesn't shock me though...his father was a huge booze hound" she explained.

Alex felt his rage build when Norma recapped all the things her deceased husband would do to her. He felt anger towards his mother too...mostly because she was rude towards Norma. "I'm sorry you had to deal with those kinds of people honey...you didn't deserve it" he cooed empathetically.

Norma silently took his hand and kissed it, still feeling anxious to get out of the establishment. "Would you be angry at me if I wanted to get out of here?" she asked, with her lip between her teeth.

"Not at all. I understand completely, we can just go somewhere else" he said, trying to get their clumsy waitress to come back to the booth.

Everything was going smoothly until the pair heard a voice from across the way. "Norma? Norma is that you?" the voice asked. Norma immediately sunk in her seat, feeling sick to her stomach. Alex shot a sympathetic look her way, as she straightened out her body and gave the woman, who was now coming over to their table, a large, plastic smile.

Norma rose to meet the woman. "Hello Deborah" she greeted cheerfully, meeting her hug with hatred running through her veins.

"It's great to see you, Norma. I haven't seen you since Sam's funeral. What brings you back to Phoenix?" she asked, glancing at Alex.

"Ironically...a funeral" she answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, well I'm so sorry we had to see one another under such circumstances. How have you been? How's my grandson? Where'd you scurry off to anyway?" she asked, giving her a tiny smile.

"We moved to a small town in Oregon, White Pine Bay. Norman is doing great, he's excelling in school and he has met so many great new friends. I've been good as well, running my own business and um...I met Alex, he's my boyfriend" she said, motioning to him sitting at the table awkwardly.

He stood as well, reaching out to shake her hand. Norma cut in with a smile. "Alex this is Deborah Bates, Sam's mother" she re-introduced.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am" he greeted, giving her the best thin lipped smile he could, completely following Norma's lead. After all, the woman was one hell of a good liar.

"He's not quite as handsome as my Sam but I suppose if you like him enough…" she trailed off, looking him over.

Alex took that as his sign to exit, so he sat back down at the booth watching the interaction. Norma gave her a glare. "Really? I think he's perfect...he really loves me, he's protective, and treats me like a princess" she said with enthusiasm.

Deborah scoffed and rolled her eyes comically. "And Sam didn't? If I recall, you were perfectly fine with him all those years".

"You know what, Deborah...those 17 years I kept silent for you and your family's benefit but not any more. Though you thought the sun shined out of your son's ass, it didn't. Sam was actually horrible to me. He would hit me, slap me, punch me, and kick me. He would have me clean up his messes all while he called me a dirty slut, a skank, and an ungrateful whore. He would force me to have sex with him even when I didn't want it and worst of all, he would make Norman watch all of this...but don't worry I never let him lay a hand on my son" she said, giving her a nasty look. She turned to Alex who sat astonished at her revelation. "Let's go, Alex".

He rose silently, taking her hand in his and walking to the exit. Deborah stood with her mouth wide open, staring Norma down as she walked to the parking lot. She was a hundred percent sure she could hear her yell "lying bitch" as she shut the door behind them, but she didn't care, she felt good to get all that shit off of her chest.

The couple got back in the SUV and Norma looked at Alex. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, I didn't mean to unleash like that...especially in front of all those people" she apologized.

He said nothing, just taking her head in his hands and kissing her lips softly, pulling away with a small smirk. "You don't have to apologize for that, I'm so proud of you. It's great that you finally stood up to someone who hurt you like that".

She nodded with an appreciative smile, returning his kiss, and setting her eyes back on the road. Alex started the engine and pulled away. "So...I have a question" he started, keeping his attention focused on where they were going.

Norma glanced over at him and rested her arm on the window pain. "Shoot. You can ask me anything".

"Was all of Sam's family bad? Did they all not like you?" he asked, his brows furrowing.

"That's a good question, actually. No, I mean the majority of them did. But he had one brother named Steven. He was so handsome and incredibly kind to me, we were actually good friends. He was always the one to notice bruises and scars on my body...I wasn't shy to tell him his brother was an evil bastard. He was so empathetic, he'd always tell me that he loved me" she explained with a smile.

"Were you guys sleeping together?" he asked quietly.

She stayed tight lipped for a few moments. "Well, we weren't sleeping together. It was only once…"

* * *

_It was early morning in Arizona. Sam had just went to work and Norma had sent Norman off to school with a sack lunch and a kiss on the cheek. She was looking at a decorative list of all the chores and duties she had to fulfill around the house when there was a knock at the front door. She rolled her eyes, putting the paper down, and answering._

_To her surprise and excitement, it was Steven, wearing casual clothes and a relaxed smile. "Morning, Norma" he greeted, but the sunny expression soon faded when he got a look at the golf ball sized, purple bruise gracing her temple. "How the hell did that one happen?" he asked, taking her arm gently, and shutting the front door behind them._

_"Sam came home last night and I didn't have dinner on the table...the house was still kind of dirty because I had to work a later shift at the Holiday Inn and I couldn't make it home in time to get everything done" she explained with a heavy sigh. She was so fed up with being treated like someone's whipping post._

_"Oh Norma...you don't deserve any of that. I'm sorry to say I'm related to him. I hate to see you like this, whenever he marks your beautiful face with another bruise I just wanna kill him" he said, running his gentle fingertips across the laceration._

_"Me too" she said with a nod, retreating back to the kitchen. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?"._

_He shook his head slightly and moved closer to him. "No, thank you. I want to clean up that bruise a little bit. Do you have any ointment?" he asked._

_She silently reached up into the kitchen cabinet, taking out a long tube of healing cream, and handing it over to him. Steven pulled her close to him, unscrewing the cap on the tube. "C'mere...this won't hurt. It'll probably make some of the color disappear" he explained with a comforting smile._

_She nodded, "That's good. I hate that they're always so easy to see" she sighed, sitting at the kitchen table with time so he could heal her wound._

_He dabbed some ointment on his index finger and swirled it around on the bruise, rubbing it in slightly, not wanting to press on it too much. Unscrewing the cap on the bottle, he looked up at her, "There we go. It should heal a lot quicker now"._

_She looked him over with her mouth open a bit. His eyes met her own with equal desire. He leaned over quietly, taking her cheek in his hand before kissing her lips softly. Norma followed suit, kissing him back with more force. Soon enough they were both out of their seats and entwined with one another. He reached up, hooking her thighs over his waist, and hoisting her on top of the kitchen counter._

_"I've wanted you for so long, Norma" he whispered before planting his lips onto her neck, sucking at her skin delicately._ Norma blushed at his sweet words, _sliding off the counter, and taking his hand in hers._

_She kissed his cheek and took him into her bedroom._

* * *

Norma looked back at him. "It wasn't very well thought out...it was kind of a heat of the moment situation. I mean, I loved him but like my brother not like a lover. Taking him to bed was a stupid idea. Having sex with him was like taking a horny, inexperienced teenage boy's virginity".

He chuckled at the comparison. "That bad, huh?".

"God, it was like a blind guy trying to hit a bullseye on a dartboard" she scoffed, taking his hand in hers, and playing with his fingers.

"Well, I would give him some credit. As a guy...it's actually pretty tough to please a woman, it's like you all have this secret button that we have to press or else we go down in history as terrible in bed" he defended, glancing at her with a playful glare.

"Lucky for you. You never have a hard time hitting my bullseye...I always come with you" she purred, running her hand along the inside of his thigh.

He looked at her, his eyes burning with desire.

"I can't wait to get you home".

 


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Exploring In The Guestroom**

 

The couple busted into Patrick and Laura's guest room in a feverish mist of heat. Alex was pressed against her in every way possible, skimming his warm hand along her legs, his erection was pressed at her core, and his free hand reached up to tangle in her hair. She broke apart in quick panic.

She rested her head on his shoulder as he worked his lips all over the skin of her vanilla scented neck. "Alex…" she started before letting out a strangled breath, "Alex, we need to lock the door". He sighed into her neck, his hot breath hitting her skin only adding to her desire for him.

"Why can't I just tie a sock around the knob instead?" he joked, keeping his face inches apart from her own. She laughed a bit, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was there.

They resumed kissing seconds later, wrapping their tongues around each others with desirous moans and groans leaving their throats. He broke apart to slid a hand near her inner thigh. "This is really hot, fucking with other people in the house" he rasped against her skin, hiking up her dress skirt, and sliding his hand underneath the band of her lacy thong.

Norma's knees almost buckled as she felt his fingers graze her, she grew dizzy as his strokes grew rougher and rougher. She snaked an arm over his shoulders to keep her balance. His fingers moved deeper into her, feeling her wet, velvet, clenching walls.

"Stroke my clit" she begged breathily, her breath hitching as she wrapped hooked a leg around his waist while he rubbed.

Without another second of hesitation, Alex moved his fingers up, curving them as he stroked faster. Norma arched her back out as she felt his fingertips bump over her most sensitive area. He lowered his mouth to her ear, cherishing her writhing body pressed against his.

He nibbling her lobe as he opened his mouth a bit. "You like that, baby?" he asked, growing harder as he heard her moan.

"Yes" she groaned, grasping onto both of his shoulders, yearning to hold out. "Alex, please…" she started, her head hitting the wall in frantic lust. "Please just fuck me".

He torturously detached his fingers from her body, letting them move to unbuckle his pants, and shake them off. Norma ripped her dress off as well, tossing it aside, and laying on the rug next to the bed. Alex rose as eyebrow as he undressed, "You wanna do it on the floor?" he asked with a smirk.

She looked up at him with her stormy blue orbs. "Yeah...if we do it on the bed, they'll hear us" she whispered, thinking about the possible headboard banging against the wall and the mattress springs squeaking.

Alex tore his shirt off, getting on the floor, and rolling on top of her. She slid her panties down to her ankles and leaned up to kiss him. She reached an arm up on the bed, grabbing her purse, and tugging it down next to her. She placed a hand inside, fishing out a condom, and handing it to Alex. His body heat hovering over her alone was enough to take her straight to the brink.

Alex tore the packet apart, tossing the opening aside, and rolling the condom on his rock solid erection. He threw the empty package asude, looking down at her briefly.

He observed her flawless porcelain skin, perfectly ample breasts, and her curly pale locks surrounding her lustrous face. He reached up on the bed, grabbing a pillow, and laying it under her head.

He reached down to take his length, and slowly moved inside of her. He pushed in gently, all the way to the hilt. Alex let out a fiery grown as he felt her tight warmth enclose around him. "How does that feel, beautiful?" he asked, his hot breath skimming across her neck.

Norma arched her back, her head brushing harder against the pillow as she felt every inch of him. She let out a cherished gasp once he was all the way inside. "It feels amazing. I want you...I need you to fuck me" she whispered, kissing his jaw up and down.

He immediately slid in and out of her with fast paced arousal. Norma wrapped her legs around his jolting waist tightly, her fingernails carving into his back as he thrust into her, hitting all the right spots. "God, you're so big…" she moaned, pounding her hips against his as her back scrubbed against the rug.

Her words sent him into a spiral of madness and pleasure. He only pressed into her harder, reaching down up to rub her as he did so. "I want you to come for me, baby. Show me how much you like getting fucked" he growled into her soft skin.

The second she felt him pounding into her and stimulating her most sensitive area at the same time, she thought she was going to explode, she roughly grabbed the back of his head. "Oh, oh - oh my fucking god! Alex!" she screamed, feeling herself implode with explosive bouts pleasure, the heat boiling in her abdomen had simmered down once she came.

When he heard her shriek his name and felt her fingernails dig harder into his skin, he felt like he was going to break. "I love you…" he groaned, feeling the shockwaves of pleasure beat through his veins, and leaning his forehead to her chest as he finally gave out.

Norma took his head in her hands and kissed his lips gently, pulling away to let him control his breathing. He nudged off of her and moved onto his side to face her properly. She tugged the blankets off the mattress above them and pulled it over to cover their bodies while remaining on the floor.

Alex threw a hand over her bare waist and slid her closer into a spoon. "How was that?" he murmured into her neck with a devilish smile on his lips.

She relished the feeling of his body against hers in such an intimate way. "That was wonderful. It always is, I really don't know how you do it every time though. I can tell you right now, I've never faked an orgasm with you...somehow you always know what buttons to push" she explained with a scoff.

"I think it's because there's genuine feeling towards you. I feel like when you really love someone, it carries over when your having sex, y'know? That's probably why it's so good" he suggested, wrapping his arm tightly around her.

She smiled, placing a hand on his arm. "I agree with that. It probably explains why you're the best I've ever had".

He ran a hand through her silky locks of hair. "You know I really am proud of you for today in the diner. You completely blew me away, I know it hurt you to do that but it was a sign of strength".

She gave a sincere look and ran her fingers along his arm. "Thank you. That really means a lot. It's just when I saw her and she started bad mouthing you, I felt like killing her. And when she started talking about how great Sam was, I felt sick to my stomach. The truth had to come out sometime. I'm just really tired of lying down and taking everyone's bullshit".

He nodded, keeping his grip tight on her. "You don't deserve bullshit from anyone. You've been through way too much in your life. And I want you to know that I will always be here to protect you. Okay, Norma?".

She smiled at him, the moonlight shining through the bay window hitting her face, making her glow.

"Okay".

 


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Just One Question**

 

It had been a month since Norma and Alex returned home to White Pine Bay after their trip to Arizona. Their relationship started to get more realistic and sail away from the honeymoon phase. They would have their fights here and there but always make up without any further issues. Since they got back to Oregon, Alex had been thinking about taking their relationship to the next level. A level he felt they were both ready for.

It took him three and a half weeks to find the perfect engagement ring for Norma. A princess cut with no exceptions, she deserved the best. He believed it was the right time to propose because he really did love her more than anything.

Alex had dropped by the motel office one morning and slid the black ring box inside her maid uniform pocket. She never wore it anyhow, he tried to think of more clever ways but couldn't find anything else. He went back again after work and saw her through the front office window, tapping away at her laptop. He entered, a smile immediately rushing to his lips once he was in front of her.

"Hey. How has your day been so far?" he asked, taking her hand from across the desk and kissing the back of it.

She grinned as her hand began toying with his fingers. "It's been okay. There have been a lot of reservations because of that damned beach volleyball tournament. I'll tell you, the things some guys will do to see woman jump up and down in bikini's is astounding to me," her laugh sprung from the back of her throat as she made her point.

"I'd pay to see you in a bikini jumping up and down, it's not that weird," he said, his smile turning seductive in no time.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed at his words.

"How was your day? Any heavy crimes you wanna tell me about?" she asked, putting the last few files away in the desk drawer. She shut her work laptop and rested her head in her hands as she watched him from across the desk.

He shook his head and looked outside, "Nah, the only crime I should inform you about is the throw up outside Room 6," he lied, his mind had been racing all day long, thinking of the perfect ruse to make events fall into place and go his way.

She groaned and grabbed a bucket and mop from the closet in the back office, "I just don't understand why someone would leave it there like that. I know this isn't The Hilton but still, show a little class."

"I know, people should have some common decency. I could knock on the door and read them their rights if you want," he offered up with a smirk on his face.

She laughed a bit before walking to the door, "No, I think arrest would be a little bit of an overreaction."

"Wait a sec," he said, taking gentle hold of her arm, "You should wear your maid shirt, it's gonna be pretty messy out there, I wouldn't want you to catch anything if that person had the stomach flu or something."

A smile reached her lips as she dropped the mop to the rest at the wall, "Always thinking of me," she murmured, taking the abandoned maid coat off the wall hook and dusting it off, "Wow...I haven't worn this thing since we first opened."

He rested an elbow on the desk and watched her, "Why don't you check the pockets?". His heart was beating so loud it was a wonder she couldn't hear it. He was so incredibly nervous about his proposal, it was driving him insane.

She immediately glanced up at him, bewilderment chalked all over her face, "Check my pockets?" her voice sounded almost amused by his order.

His expression dissolved to a more serious one, as he stepped closer to her. "You know, sometimes when you find old jackets or pants there could always be spare money in the pockets," he said, looking at her right pocket, which held the black jewelry box.

Norma scoffed playfully and dropped a hand in the left pocket, only pulling a few pieces of lint from the bottom, then moved onto the right pocket, surprised at what her fingers grazed. It felt like something foreign...velvet, maybe? She tugged it out and immediately her heart stopped beating. It was a small black velvet jewelry box, she didn't attempt anything, just looked up at Alex, shock was her main expression.

He was quick to retaliate, gently taking the box from her hand, and getting down on one knee all while holding eye contact. "Norma Louise Bates," he started, opening the box to show her the engagement ring, "Will you marry me?".

Her hands clasped over her mouth as tears sprang from her eyelids, this wasn't her first proposal, but it was certainly the most meaningful. She could tell by the tone of Alex's voice that he was being sincere. Her head nodded yes erratically as she was still too astonished to say anything more.

He took ahold of her hand and slid the ring on her finger, a soft smile on his face. He rose back to his feet and took her face in his hands, "I love you very, very much and I want to take care of you for the rest of my life," he promised.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes, though the tears were still flowing. Her breathing was still erratic from the crying, "I love you too, I wanna be your wife more than anything," she admitted before letting more happy tears flow. He clutched her to him and kissed her jaw as he consoled her.

After a few moments, she pulled away, a huge smile on her face. "We're getting married…" she said, it sounded like the words were foreign to her. "Oh my god," her breath hitched and her eyes lit up as she looked at him, "I'm gonna be your wife!".

The sheer excitement in her voice made him feel the same way. "I'm really excited," he agreed with a chuckle, leaning in to kiss her again.

"Just one thing, though," she said, her voice lowering to a more hushed tone, "I think we should keep it on the down low for a little while. I don't wanna tell Norman and Dylan right away."

He nodded and looked around to make sure no one was coming, "I understand," he said, his hands moving to rest at her hips, "You think I could still come up tonight? Maybe celebrate our little secret?".

"Of course," she murmured, kissing his cheek, and taking him by the hand. She was so excited, her and Alex together, always there for one another no matter what. She'd needed security for a long time and she longed to give him everything she could.

If they planned accordingly and that ring stayed firm on her finger, this would be one of the greatest experiences either of them would experience.

 


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: The Wedding Planner**

 

Norma waited until late afternoon to sit at the kitchen table with Alex and go over early, but extremely overdue wedding plans. It had only been a few weeks since their engagement but Norma felt it was ready to delve into ideas for the ceremony, reception, and of course the honeymoon. She wanted this to be perfect, with bells, whistles, and well thought out organization. Alex agreed, the large majority of him wanted to just support her decisions and not get involved too much.

Neither Dylan or Norman knew about the engagement yet, the couple wanted them to find out in good time. Now, Norma sat with pen in hand, tapping it on the notepad as Alex cracked open a fresh can of Bud. The word Location was the first written on the lined paper.

Norma didn't want anything she'd already done before. With John, it was a quick courthouse ceremony, two signed papers, a certificate, and they were out. Then again, she was eight months along with her brothers child, making the whole "ceremony" incredibly unenjoyable. When Sam proposed, he told her it was to be a proper church wedding, family and a priest with no exceptions. That coming from the man who skipped church every Sunday morning for sports and booze.

Alex thought and sipped his drink, "So, where do you wanna get married? You want a traditional church wedding?". Though he wasn't religious, he still brought it up. He know for a fact Norma wasn't highly into religion, as most things that had happened to her were ungodly.

She was incredibly quick to shake her head and blow of his askings, "No way. I've done the church thing before, it was far to serious for me. I kinda want to do something fun? I guess now that I'm older, I don't care about doing stuff the right way anymore," a laugh left her lips as she let her mind race with possible ideas.

"Fun, huh? Like something completely unorthodox or just unique? And who are we going to invite, where will the reception be?" he asked, getting stressed over the details. Alex was a tense man, he didn't like to do things that conflicted with his routine. Work and the wedding was bound to take up all his time.

"Sweetheart, you are getting too far ahead of the list. Let's just focus on a good location, okay?," Norma was starting to fret but soon the right place hit her mind, "What would you say to getting married on the beach?".

He ran her idea over in his head. A beach. Serene, peacefully, fairly quiet, all things he liked. "That's a good idea. And plus we could have a small crowd without it looking to weird."

"Okay, so we've agreed on a beach," she reiterated, jotting the word down on her paper. "Now we can talk about that small group of guests. I was just thinking about Dylan, Norman, Emma, and plus each of them will bring a date. What about you? Who do you want to come?".

"You know me. I don't have a lot of family. But I'm sure my aunt and uncle will want to be there. And uh, I have some friends from the station who I can invite," he offered, knowing it wasn't a lot of people. It mattered that he was trying, that was all he could do. It hurt that he didn't have parents or siblings that would be there, but at least he had Norma, she was all he needed.

"That's is a really small amount of guests, but it doesn't matter. It's cheaper and easier to manage," she smiled, writing the names of suggested attendees on the list. "Now I assume if we are getting married on the beach, our reception should be there too? What do you think?".

"Alright. We could do something casual if you want to. Like maybe an outdoor barbecue and some picnic benches? I don't want anything fancy, I just want people to have a good time, you know?".

She clasped her hand in his and smiled, happy to see him take an interest and come up with good ideas, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I want this to be fun too. Fancy is boring and overdone. I like that idea, I'm sure people will like it."

"How about this," he started, taking a swing of his beer and moving his hand to set on her forearm, his thumb coming up to brush her skin lightly, "You, me, and a bottle of wine. We can go somewhere like an island, where the water is as crystal blue as your eyes, and some big Hawaiian man can help us elope." The joking smile on his lips grew larger as he imagined the sight, nothing keeping them apart but warm sand and palm trees.

She laughed, "I wish getting married was that easy. But I have bad news for you, there is a lot of planning that goes into a wedding if you want it to be perfect and I don't know about you but I want our wedding to be better than that, I want it to be extraordinary. At least we decided on a location and what we want our reception to look like."

"Yeah, I'm happy with what we got done," he smiled, looking at their small list of improvements, "Anything else you wanted to get down? Do we have to do things like catering and uh- flowers so soon?".

"No, no, not at all. Rome wasn't built in a day, this whole thing can't be planned so soon. This is going to take a few months of planning and coordinating for it to be completely perfect. But, um...I really wanted to go dress shopping soon. I know it's super early, I'm just eager to look for something simplistic and beautiful."

A chuckle left the back of his throat as he shook his head, "Norma, you don't need to go all out with your dress. You could wear sweatpants and a tee shirt and you'll still look great. I don't want you to stress over a wedding dress."

"Trust me, the only time you'll see me in my sweatpants in when I don't wanna have sex," she laughed, her mind racing with ideas of a beautiful wedding dress that she would call her own, she wanted Alex to be completely wowed. He would never guess but she had been staying up for the past few nights, a wedding magazine in her lap, searching for the perfect piece of attire. All she wanted was something vintage and adorable that would fit her like a glove. "Would you want to come and look for dresses with me?".

"Sure, I wouldn't mind that at all but isn't there some myth about a man not being able to see his wife in her dress before they get married? I think they say it's bad luck for your marriage or something."

"Alex Romero, you better knock on wood, I don't want to hear the words bad luck and marriage in the same sentence. Not for the next few months that is. But I get what you mean. maybe I'll just ask Dylan or Norman to come with me and hunt for dresses," she thought, laughing in her own mind as she imagined her sons seated in front of a dressing room with various gowns draped over their shoulders.

He was quick to shake his head and banish her idea, "No. Believe me when I say they would hate that. There are two places in this world that you never bring a man. The tampon section of the grocery store and any establishment where they sell clothing. Why don't you just bring Emma with you? I can tell she wants to be apart of the family anyway, I think she'd be really happy if you invited her to search with you."

She thought for a moment and looked back to him, "Well, if I ask her to help me look for wedding dresses, she'll know we are getting married. Should I tell her about the engagement? I mean, I really wanted to keep it secret from Norman and Dylan for a little while, they are my sons and they've seen me go through this twice, I don't want them to worry and think we are rushing into this. I know if I tell Emma about us it'll slip out somehow."

"Well, what if we do something special to let them all in on our engagement. Like a dinner party or something? We could cook a special dinner and sit them all down and maybe break the news to them, you could show off your ring and they'll all see how happy we are."

She smiled wide at the thought of Alex;s sentiment, "That is so sweet, Alex. What a great idea. We could make it really nice and relaxing like our wedding idea and then we should break it to them in some kind of clever way. I'm really excited to tell them now, I'm sure everyone will be really happy."

"They will, Norma. I'm 100% sure that they will all be incredibly supportive, you have to believe that. As long as you have me and your son's and Emma behind you, this wedding will be amazing. You know what I mean?".

"I do."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Flirting With Danger**

 

It had been two weeks since Norma and Alex had touched their wedding planning sheet. This was no shock as their personalities were similar, Norma was an expert at putting things off until they faded away and Alex was a procrastinator who vowed on getting things done in the last minute. Norma was frustrated at herself for letting such an important event slip, she promised herself to get on track so everything would run successfully and smoothly.

Alex talked her out of guilt, saying they both had busy lives and the planning process should just come naturally, he claimed if they forced planning it, the experience would be less enjoyable. And because she loved him, it was easy to agree. The couple had planned a nice Friday evening in the midst of all post-engagement stress, they wanted to get some form of takeout, preferably Chinese to suite Alex's likings, and catch a late night movie on cable, something black and white to agree with Norma's taste.

The bride to be, however, was running a bit short on patience as her anticipated groom was running late for their date. Granted, Friday was typically the day he stayed late at work to get extra work done so it wouldn't have to be touched over the weekend, but that was only for a little while. He was supposed to show at 9 pm but Norma's watch read 11. With no texts or calls returned or given, she decided to throw on her crimson trench coat and head out to the sheriff's department.

The drive their was filled with a multitude of anxieties and excess fears. A thousand what if's popped into Norma's mind as the Mercedes smoothly skidded along the winding roadsides of White Pine.  _What if he's with someone else? What if he's hurt? What if he stood me up on purpose because he doesn't truly care about this relationship? What if he doesn't care about me?_

Norma was never one with a cool head, relaxation was not a given for her, she had to talk herself into normality and leave any worries behind, serious or miniscule. Once she pulled up to the station however, everything resurfaced making her shake with anger and sadness, which was a true bitch because she didn't even know the truth. When she walked inside, she was met with that same receptionist that had been employed since the first time she was called down for questioning.

The receptionist had lost all attitude towards Norma, mostly because she knew about her and Sheriff Romero's relationship, if she were to test her, than she'd be fired faster than you could say "street crime." Her head popped up the second she saw Norma, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she plastered a phony smile on her face and remained pleasant. "Hello, Mrs. Bates. What can I do for you this evening?," one could actually hear the passive aggressive angst reaping in her tone.

She ignored the woman's words and looked back at Alex's door, shut and private as always, something she didn't need to see at the moment as she was on a mission for validity. "I just need to see Sheriff Romero, it's kind of an emergency. He's not working is he?" she asked, now trusting the secretary she once hated, but hell if you're going to get information out of anyone, especially about the worlds quietest officer, you needed to do a little schmoozing.

The woman was quick to shake her head, an amused smile coming alive on her lips. "No, Sheriff Romero is actually talking with a friend in the break room. She showed up here a little while ago out of the blue and they've been back there," she broke to point to an open room a few doors down from Alex's actual office and then looked back to Norma, "Ever since. She seemed pretty nice. I can let you back if you want to speak with him."

Norma's heat dropped when the word "she" came into her ears. What she was being referred to? A pretty she? A sexy she? A slutty, conniving little she who would do whatever it took to get her hands on Alex? If so, that she had something coming to her. Norma could feel her face getting hotter but slowly decided that if she caused a scene in the office, she'd be prohibited from seeing Alex. Therefore, she sucked up all vicious feelings and nodded with an incredibly forced smile, "Yes, I'd love to see him if you wouldn't mind."

Just like that, the receptionist rang her back and she began pacing heavily towards that damned back room. Once she arrived at the doorway, she peaked inside to see what she was up against. Just as she suspected. A pretty "she." Her hair rested in perfect curls down to the middle of her back, the relax tee-shirt she wore was far too tight only showing off her ample breasts and formed curves, this bitch looked like she worked out at least four times a week, surviving on a diet of steamed kale and fruit smoothies.

Her blood boiled as she observed the look on Alex's face, happy, and almost aroused at the woman that sat before him. Without another thought processed, she walked inside and stared him down. "Hello, Alex," she said, walking closer to him, she knew it was vital to protect what was her's.

He was quick to wrap an arm around her waist and kiss her arm, his elevation made it harder to show affection to anything else. "Hi, baby. What are you doing here so late?" he asked, his voice sounded affectionate and innocent, making Norma want to soften up right away and leave with no further questions asked, but that "she" kept staring at her making it hard to just drop her feelings.

"I just decided to drive down and see how you were doing. I get worried when you stay cramped up in that office for so long," she said, making it seem like less of an issue with a small laugh, her eyes immediately rested on "she", "I'm sorry…I'm afraid we haven't met before, I'm Norma Bates. Alex's finance," her voice had the word possessive drenched all over it as her hand moved back to clutch his head, marking her territory.

She smiled wide and looked up at her, "Wow! Congratulations to both of you! It's so nice to meet you, Norma. I'm Mariah, I was just in White Pine Bay on a... well, I guess you could call it a self discovery mission. I just had to stop by and see my old bestie Alex," she squealed excitedly, looking back to him with a grin.

"Bestie?" Norma asked, her focus turning down at Alex, "What does that mean?".

"Oh my god!" Mariah gushed, with a nostalgic smirk on her face, "Alex and I were best friends in high school. Literally, he was the coolest kid ever. I was a cheerleader and he was a total book nerd, but he meshed with my group of friends so well. We would do everything together, go to parties, practice cheer routines, and we even went to prom together."

Alex laughed at her remembrance, the smile staying on his face as he nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I definitely remember that night. How can I forget when Chuck Wright threw a fist in my face and broke my nose."

"He was a total douchebag! I'm so glad I lost touch with that loser. Last I heard, he moved a few towns over and became a local at the bars if you know what I mean," she hinted with another giggle. That noise made Norma fume. The thought of her fiance to be and some hot girl from high school whom he would do "everything" with both repulsed her and scared the shit out of her. Alex was his, that's why she wore his ring and he carried her legal and personal burdens, never holding them over her, but supporting her.

"Wow, sounds like someone had quite the high school experience," Norma said, her arm draping around Alex's shoulders. He wouldn't get an earful until they were driving back home and this girl was long out of sight. He looked back up at her with a grin and nodded, "Yeah, I did. Hanging out with the popular girls was the highlight of four years being shoved into lockers and being called a sissy."

Mariah scoffed and reached over to tap Alex's arm, "C'mon, you were never a sissy. Well, only after school when we would practice my cheering routines," she laughed, the smile staying at her lips.

Norma hated her hand on Alex, it burned her inside, made her want to walk away and brand Alex with the word cheater. But that's the thing. He hadn't done anything. He would never do anything. At least that's what she told herself. She figured she'd try to win him all to herself later on, right now this little "she" was her main concern.

"So, Mariah, do you have any children or a husband of your own?" she asked, fearing nothing. She wouldn't be afraid to push this girl to the limit.

"Me? Oh no, no. I never wanted to be tied down. I always wanted to do anything at any given moment if I felt like it. I find that children are a burden and men can be incredibly overbearing," she informed, looking back to Alex, "Except you, you're pretty cool."

He laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you can put it that way."

"I have to beg to differ on that one, I mean I have two beautiful boys and not once in my life have they ever caused me any distress. I guess you have to be selfless to be a mother," Norma said, a bitchy smirk on her lips as she enjoyed the words coming out of her mouth. She knew she was succeeding at being an asshole, Alex probably knew it to. The growing silence in the room made her worry a bit, but soon pleased her as she realized she hit a good nerve.

Soon enough, Mariah cleared her throat and looked back up to her. "You know something? My grandmothers name was Norma. She was a lovely women. Died not too long ago actually. We were always really close."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I never met her, just your parents and they were pretty funny," Alex chimed in, the nostalgia written all over his face.

Her grandmothers name? This girl was playing hard ball. She wanted to piss Norma off on purpose, the hatred must've been completely mutual. And Alex just went along with it.

"Isn't that nice? I just hope Alex doesn't see me as a grandma," she joked, her hand tightening on his shoulder.

He turned back with a smile and shook his head immediately, a good thing because if he didn't, Norma would be sure to carry his balls in her handbag. "Your no where near grandma status," he laughed.

She smiled back, making sure Mariah watched their exchange. "Well, I better go. I have a job interview in the morning and I wanna wake up to try and look presentable." She rose from the table, slung her purse over her shoulder, and looked to Norma. "It was really nice meeting you, Norma." Her hand extended and surprisingly, Norma shook it, secretly wanting to rip it out of the socket.

"Yeah, it was good to meet you as well. Always a pleasure to meet any of Alex's friends," she smiled, unlatching. Immediately she wanted a large bottle of hand sanitizer.

Alex rose from his seat and gave her another smile, "It was really great to see you again, Mariah. I appreciate you stopping by to say hello."

"Yeah, of course. It was all my pleasure to be able to say hey," she grinned. And just as that smile appeared, the hug came, when Norma saw it she wanted to flip the goddamn table over.

Alex pulled away and moved back to Norma, watching Mariah walk to the exit, "Good luck on the job interview," he called, she flipped back and smiled before leaving.

Alex turned back to Norma and grinned, "She's nice. I'm glad you got to meet her."

"Yeah," she murmured, latching his hand with her own, "Yeah, she's a real peach." Without another word, she started pulling him into his office. Once reaching it, she brought him inside and shut the door behind them.

When everyone was out of sight and they were complete alone in the darkness of his office, she started kissing him, her hands roaming all over his body with feverish want. She wanted to get the image of that girl out of his head.

He pulled away with a small smile, "Norma, what's gotten into you?," his voice was playful as his hands rested at her waist.

She pulled him closer to the desk and sat on it, tugging him so he stood in between her thighs. She took his head and started kissing him again, leaning back so she lay stretched out on the desk. Once she had him where she wanted him, her hands moved to his belt buckle.

He was incredibly quick to pull back, "Norma, no. Not here," he warned, his voice hushed and gruff from her kissed, he reached down to fix himself.

She rolled her eyes and pulled him forward once again, starting to resume the kissing. He pushed her back gently and shook his head, "Norma, I'm not having sex with you here."

She stood from the desk in anger and pulled her dress straight, "Why not Alex? Why not here?" her voice was sharp as it rose.

He scoffed and looked at her like she was stupid, "Because Norma, this is where I work. A professional place."

"Oh I see, so you won't fuck me on your desk in private but you'll sit and flirt with that whore for hours on end in the fucking break room where everyone can see!," her eyes were a glare and her voice was as loud as freshly struck thunder.

"Flirting, Norma? What the hell are you talking about. She's just a friend. I can't catch up with a friend just cause she's a female?" he asked, his voice just as angry.

"A friend? A friend who wears jeans and cheap, $2 makeup? You think that's harmless?" she asked, she was quick to grab her purse and slam his door open, storming out of the office.

He followed back, taking her arm and pulling her to him, "Norma, you really think I want her? What's wrong with you?".

She ripped her arm away and walked further from him, "You think there's something wrong with me? Fine. Then don't bother coming home tonight, find somewhere else to stay and," she paused, pulling her engagement ring off and throwing it at him,"Find yourself another fiancé!".

Then, she left him there. Alex stood, reaching down to take the ring. There it sat in his palm, his heart aching from her lost presence, the only thing left behind being the scent of her sweet perfume. He'd never seen her like this before, it was harsh, like a blow to his very existence.

The minute she left, he knew he had to get her back.

He  _had_  to get her back.

 

 


End file.
